r 
 
 V 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 CALlF<'-'RNiA 
 SAN OlEGO 
 
 y

 
 THE WAR: 
 
 THE DE.\TH OF LORD RAGLAN TO THE EVACUATION" 
 OF THE CRIMEA.
 
 Lomlciu.-. &.Romie3^e SrCfFarringian. Street.
 
 THE W A E. 
 
 W '^ 
 
 BY 
 
 W. H. RUSSELL, 
 
 COEEESPONDENT OF " THE TIMES." 
 
 FROM THE DEATH OF LORD RAGLAN TO THE 
 EVACUATION OF THE CRIMEA. 
 
 FEINTED BY PERMISSION, 
 
 LONDON: 
 G. ROUTLEDGE & CO., EARRINGDON STREET. 
 
 NEW YORK : 18, BEEKMAN STEEET. 
 
 1856.
 
 LONBOIT: 
 
 SATTLL AND EDWARDS, PEINTEES, 
 
 CHANDOS STBEET.
 
 NOTICE TO THE EEADER. 
 
 This Volume contains the Letters o* the " Timei Cor- 
 respondent" from the death of Lord Raglan to the evacu- 
 ation of the Crimea ; and in it are included, hy permission, 
 the contributions of two of his able colleagues at the seat 
 of war, ivritten during Mr. Russell's absence, or from 
 the camp on the Tchernaya.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 OMINOUS CHANGES 1 
 
 THE CONTEST ON THE LINE OP THE TOHERNAYA 12 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE TCHERNAYA - . . . . 54 
 
 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM 91 
 
 THE FINAL BOMBARDMENT 126 
 
 CAPTURE OP THE MALAKHOPP AND ATTACK ON THE REDAN . . 138 
 
 DAT OF THE ASSAULT 141 
 
 CAPTURE OP SEEASTOPOL 167 
 
 THE INTERIOR OF SEBASTOPOL 173 
 
 FIRST FRUITS OF VICTORY 188 
 
 COMFORTABLE QUARTERS 204 
 
 OPPORTUNITIES NEGLECTED 214 
 
 SIGNS OP A MOVE 225 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION 242 
 
 OFF ODESSA 263 
 
 THE CAPTURE OP KINBURN 287 
 
 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPER 296 
 
 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE 311 
 
 A CATASTROPHE 334 
 
 RELAXATION 340 
 
 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS 364 
 
 DESTRUCTION OP THE DOCKS 399 
 
 THE ARMISTICE IN THE CRIMEA 410 
 
 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA 428 
 
 OUR GRAVES IN THE CRIMEA, AND THE ALMA REVISITED , . 465
 
 THE WAR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OMINOUS CHANGES. 
 
 Changes caused by the death of Lord Raglan — Fresh appointments — 
 Condition of tlie rival armies — False move ou the jiart of tlie English — 
 The attack on the Malakholf left to the French — Jlistakes — Incapacity 
 of General Simpson — Preparations for the assault — Omar Pasha's pro- 
 posal — The autlior at Therapia — Sick and wounded officers — The attack 
 on the Redan criticised — Prospect of another winter in the trenches — 
 Cholera — Recapitulation — Position of the contending forces. 
 
 During the interval that elapsed between the lamented death 
 of Lord Raglan, on the 28th June, and the middle of the month 
 of Jn\y, no very decided progress was made by the English in the 
 siege approaches, and the Russians contented themselves with 
 strenuous preparations to meet another assault. But as sickness 
 diminished, and reinforcements and fresh supplies of material were 
 poured into the Crimea later in the month, the allies set to work 
 with renewed energy, and not only gained ground before Sebastopol, 
 but began to feel their way towards the left of the enemy's position 
 on the Belbek. At the same time they extended their oj^erations 
 in the direction of Mangoup-Kale, and Kutchuk Sevren,first by 
 way of reconnaissance, and finally by the establishment of standing 
 camps of sufficient strength to dely a sudden attack l)y any force 
 short of an army. In these operations the French performed most 
 of the active work. They were aided to some extent by the Sar- 
 dinians encamped at Komara, and by the Turks, who completed the 
 friendly investment of Balaklava from the Sardinian right to the 
 cliff's over the sea near Cape Aiya. General Simpson, on whom 
 the command of the English army devolved, was a veteran who 
 had seen a year's service in the Peninsula in 1812-13, and in the 
 campaign of 1815, and who thirty years afterwards held the 
 post of Quartermaster- General to Sir C. Napier, in his Indian 
 war of 1845 ; and it was supposed, in spite of his own repre- 
 
 VOL. II. B
 
 2 OMINOUS CHANGES. 
 
 mentations to the contrary, that he was physically and mentally 
 able to take the command of an army which was rapidly assum- 
 ing the tbrm and functions of a contingent in face of the rein- 
 forcements so lavishly given to our allies. Lord Raglan had, 
 at all events, by the dignity of his personal character, secured 
 a position for the troops he commanded, to which they were 
 not numerically entitled; but no one can say by what sacri- 
 fices that position was maintained till the battle of Inlcerman 
 forced us to abandon it. The time is not yet come for the dis- 
 closure of all the truth, but it may even now be asked, how it was 
 that on nth Februaiy, 1855, we abandoned our ground opposite 
 the Malakhoft' to the rrencli, if we really knew it to be the 
 key of the Russian position ? A change was indeed necessary, 
 and it was evident that the English army was much too weak to 
 occupy the space from the Dockyard Creek ravine on the left, 
 to the valley of the Tchernaya on the right. But why, instead 
 of allowing the French (I use that word " allowing," inasmuch 
 as we are given to understand that ^ir John Burgoyne objected 
 to the change,) why, instead of allowing the P^-ench to take from 
 us the favourable ground on our right attack, did we not move to 
 our right, and leave the French to occupy the spot held by our 
 left, which we maintained to the end of the siege ? It seems but 
 natm-ul that as we had defended the right of the Allied Army at 
 Inkerman, with so much loss, and so much courage, we should 
 have continued to occupy a position we had rendered glorious for 
 ever. A cession of it to the French appears to be a tacit reproach 
 to our plan of defence. By concentrating our left on our right 
 attack, we could have readily carried on the siege works, and 
 have preserved to ourselves the attack against the MalakhotF, 
 which was originally opened by us on the 17th October, 1854. 
 It is said that the French objected to take Chapman's attack, 
 on the plea that they could not serve oui- artillery. Sir John 
 Burgoyne then oilered that our artillery-men should be left 
 to work the English guns ; but the objection, if ever it was 
 made, was futile, inasmuch as at a subsequent period of the 
 wiege the French demanded and received the loan of more 
 than twenty-ibur 32-pounders, which they used with great 
 vigour at the final bombardment. The compliance of Sir 
 John Burgoyne on this point is the more to be wondered at, 
 inasmuch as it was he who discovered the great importance 
 of the jiosition we so readily yielded, and it was he who an- 
 nounced that the Malakholf, of which he relinquished the attack
 
 CAUSES OP FAILUKE. 6 
 
 to our allies, was the veritable key of the whole of the defences 
 of Sebastopol. After the 18th June, 1855, it became quite evi- 
 dent that onr left attack was utterly useless for the purjwses 
 of an assault, and accordingly one would have tliouglit that the 
 whole energy of the chiefs of the British army and of the 
 Engineers, would be directed to push on our saps in the direc- 
 tion of the only point of attack the British army had to deal 
 ■with, but in eli'ect the Redan was not approached much more 
 closely by our Engineers subsequently to the 18th than it had 
 been previousl}', and most of our efforts were directed to the 
 augmentation of the weight and vigour of our fire from bat- 
 teries already established, or to the strengthening of the Quarries 
 battery, which we took on 7th of June. In fact we seemed de- 
 termined to take the place by the fire of Artiller\' alone, and yet 
 when the time came we combined with it an assault, which was of 
 course an interference with, and an abandonment of that determi- 
 nation. Although our ofiicers had the ilamelon before their 
 €yes, they overlooked the fact that the Russians could screen a 
 very large body of men inside their casemates and bomb- 
 proofs, and that their garrison would suffer very little from our 
 tire so long as it failed to search out and destroy those retreats. 
 When the garrison of these casemates was warned, by the cessa- 
 tion of our fire, of the coming assault, they swarmed out in masses 
 more numerous than the assailants, who were besides broken, and 
 almost breathless, owing to their run from the trenches, and re- 
 pulsed them ere they reached the abattis. Whenever the Rus- 
 sians felt our fire was overpowering them at any one particular 
 point, they withdrev/ their guns behind tlie traverse or parapet, 
 and trusted to the strength of their earthworks, so that it was 
 difficult to say what was the exact effect of our cannonade upon 
 their guns. Thus, on the 18th June, our soldiers were raked 
 with grape and canister, from points where we had ima- 
 gined the guns were dismounted and silenced, and it was evi- 
 dent that our artillery had not gained that mastery over the 
 enemies' pieces which was requisite to ensure success. We 
 subsequently endeavoured to secxire a better chance for our troops, 
 at the next assault, by establishing batteries to crush the flanking 
 fire of the angles of the Redan, and of the curtains in the direction 
 of the salient ; but our tackles broke in raising the guns, and these 
 batteries were never armed. The arrival of Sir Harry Jones to 
 replace Sir John Burgoyne was regarded with hope, but no change 
 in the plan of attack was originated by that officer, nor did the 
 
 b2
 
 C: OMINOUS CHANGES. 
 
 French engineers at any time appeal- to appreciate the hiiportance 
 of the ground between them and the IMalakholi", till the Eussians 
 significantly demonstrated the value of the Mamelcn bj- seizing 
 upon and fortilying it in the spring of the year. Sir JIarry Jones, 
 although younger than Sir John J3urgoyne, was not blest with 
 the health of that veteran soldier, and for some time the works 
 were carried on without the benefit of his personal supervision, 
 although no one could do\ibt the ability and zeal of Colonel 
 Gordon, E.E.. of Colonel Chapman, E.E., and of Lieut. Cowell, 
 A.D.C., or of the numerous statl of Engineer-officers engaged 
 upon the works. If the ground in front of our trenches and saps 
 towards the Eedan was difficult, that through which the French 
 di'ove their approaches close to tbe Bastion du 3fat, and notably 
 to the Bastion Ccntrale, was literally a mass of oolite and hard 
 rock, and our engineers will yet have to explain in the " aide 
 memoire" what were the causes which stayed the advance of 
 our saps, and prevented their establishing a Place d' Amies 
 for our assaulting columns. The death of Lord Eaglaii, which 
 produced in the army a sentiment of profound regret, and 
 which gave to the nation at home a sensible shock, dcpfived the 
 British army of a leader whose personal character and dignity of 
 manner exercised considerable infiuence on the councils of the 
 allied generals, however he might have failed to maintain the 
 proper position of that army after the 5tli November; but General 
 Simpson, who was appointed to succeed him, although it had been 
 understood when he came out as Chief of the Statf that he would 
 notbecomeCommander-in-Chief in case of avacancy,was certainly 
 not suited to resist any pressure which our allies might think fit to 
 apply ; and he was destitute of those acquirements and personal 
 characteristics which in Lord Eaglan compensated for a certain 
 apathj' and marble calmness which admirers extolled as virtues. 
 It was believed at the time, and it is now almost notorious, that 
 General Simpson opposed his own appointment, and bore 
 testimony to his own incapacity, but the Government, or Lord 
 Hardinge and Lord Panmure insisted; and General Simpson 
 became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army. He was suc- 
 ceeded in his post as Chief of the Staff" by an intelligent officer, 
 Major-General Barnard ; who displayed great personal activity in 
 his execution of its duties. The vacancy created in the Adjutant- 
 General's Department by the lamented death of jMajor-General 
 Estcourt was filled byColonel Pakenluini,who had been his second 
 in command, and who was a good man of business, however defi-
 
 OUR AR3IAMENT. 5 
 
 cient in that personal courtesy and politeness which tlistinguisli 
 the officers of the corresponding department of the French Army. 
 The changes created by death or wounds on the 18th having 
 thus been satisfactorily effected, tlie armj- resumed its usual 
 attitude of laborious watchfulness in the trenches and of expecta- 
 tion in the camp ; and for many long weeks we were amused 
 by confident announcements that our batteries would open in 
 " n days, u being a very small number ;" batteries were con- 
 structed by the English and the French on the commanding 
 points in their possession to drive away the Russian shipping 
 which covered the front of our trenches with a deadly fire on 
 the occasion of an assarilt, and which were handled with skill 
 and a great deal of boldness throughout the siege. All these 
 batteries failed in their object. The ships \ip to the last con- 
 tinued to render able and energetic co-operation to the besieged. 
 On the 17th June, our armament consisted of thirty 13 -inch 
 mortars, seventeen 10-inch mortars, and eight 8-inch mortars ; 
 of forty-nine 32-pounders, of forty-six 8-inch guns, of eight 
 10-inch, and eight 6S-pounder guns — an increase of thirty guns 
 and mortars on the armament with which we opened fire on the 
 7th June; and 2286 13-inch bombs, 884 10-inch bombs, 
 9740 32-lb. shot, 6712 8-inch shot, 1706 10-inch shot, 1350 
 68 -pounder shot, were fired into the town, in the bombardment, 
 previous to the assault. Still, this weight of metal, although 
 it caused an enormous loss, did not crush the fire of the place, 
 and the enemy were enabled to continue to reply, and to 
 mount fresh guns, owing to the constant command of men 
 from the armies outside the town. The capture of Kertcli and 
 Yonikale, the command of the Sea of Azov, the partial pos- 
 session of the Spit of Arabat, had not produced the results we 
 expected on the resom'ces of the garrison ; and it was evi- 
 dent that they received supplies of men and food by Perekop 
 and Tchongar — no matter by what exertions, or at what Bacri- 
 fices the communications might be effected. The Allies were 
 unable in any way to intercept the supplies. They had ad- 
 vanced from Eupatoria towards Simpheropol on various occa- 
 sions, but had invariably found the enemy in superior force, in 
 strong positions, except on the single occasion of General 
 d'AllonvIlle's brilliant affair with the Russian cavalry, under 
 General Korte, near Sak, which ended in the utter rout of the 
 latter, and the loss of a battery of field artillery. The 
 natui'e of the country, the difficulty of traugport, and tho
 
 6 OMIXOUS CHANGES. 
 
 distance of the base of operations, have all been pleaclcd as 
 reasons for the failure of the attempts to advance from Eupa- 
 toria ; but it seems ratlier strange that no effort was made 
 to march, by either the Duljanak or the Alma, to the capital ol'the 
 Crimea ; and the troops of Omar Pasha, instead ol" being kept 
 idle at Komara or Eupatoria, could have been employed with 
 the French and English in making a serious diversion, which 
 would have paralj'sed the energies of the enemy, and which 
 might have led to the fall of Sebastopol, north and south, and 
 the surrender or total flight of all the Kussian army. It was 
 not till the 11th July that Omar Pasha, dispirited at the 
 inactivity to which he and his arm}' were doomed, proposed to 
 General Simpson to embark the Turks irom the Crimea, and to 
 land near Kutais, in order to relieve Kars by a menacing 
 march npon Tiflis. On the 15th of Jvdy, thei'e was a confer- 
 ence of the allied generals at General Pelissier's, to consider the 
 position of the Turks in Asia Minor, and the proposition of 
 the Tux'kish Generalissimo ; and it was with much difficulty 
 that he succeeded in persuading them that 25,000 Turks 
 operating in Asia were much better employed than if they 
 were doing nothing at Komara. However, it was long' 
 ere he could obtain the means of carrying out his plans ; 
 and there is no doubt but that his assistance in operating from 
 Eupatoria would have been of the utmost importance during 
 the time he was compelled to maintain an attitude of hope- 
 less inactivity. At this period of the siege I Avas relieved 
 for a short time by a colleague, and I proceeded to enjoy 
 my holidays at Therapia in the society of my wife, but I was 
 attacked by Crimean fever soon after my arrival, and was not 
 able to return to the camp till the beginning of August. 
 During the time I was at Therapia, the Hotel d'Angleterre 
 presented a melancholy aspect from the number of sick and 
 wounded officers at the table-d'hote. Colonel Gordon, of the 
 Engineers, was there on his way home, after a long and anxious 
 charge in the Crimea — Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar and 
 Lord George Paget were also there ; Major Erowne of the 
 Royal Engineers, wounded on the 18th June ; Captain Browne, 
 88th, who lost his arm on the same occasion, and many others, 
 some of whom have since fallen or have been badly wounded. 
 The Turkish Contingent, encamped at Buyukdereh, under 
 General Vivian, was in the course of being organized, but 
 the eilbrts of its Commander and of General Cunynghame to-
 
 THEKAPIA. 7 
 
 get it into shape, were for some time frustrated by tlii> out- 
 break of an epidemic among the troops. I\Ieantime, wo heard 
 of the advance of the Eussians in Asia Minor, and of our owii 
 inactivity, and I am bound to say, that the feeling among the 
 English residents at Therapia was one of despondency for some 
 time after the defeat on the 18th June— old officers shook their 
 heads, and there was a great desire among young and old to get 
 away from the Crimea on any pretence, in order to escape for a 
 time from the sanguinary monotony of trench duties, the ha- 
 rassing sounds of cannon and rifle, which beat on the ear day and 
 night, and the contagious influence of gloomj' thoughts. Major- 
 General Dacres came down about this time from the Crimea, 
 to see his wife, and his presence was a sure proof that the 
 artillery were not likely to be called upon for some time to 
 come, inasmuch as he was not the kind of man who would wil- 
 lingly run the chance of losing any ofiicial mention tending 
 to his i)romotion. The attack on the Redan was tlie one 
 subject of conversation — the arrival of news from the Crimea, 
 the one great event to be looked forwai'd to daily. No one at 
 that time appeared to think that we ought not to have attacked 
 the Redan — that isadoctrine which was propounded much later, — 
 but it seemed to be imagined that even if we took it, the French 
 would not be able to maintain themselves inside any other part 
 of the enemy's lines, and that we should consequently be 
 exposed to the whole brunt of their concentrated attacks in a 
 very difficult position. The first great phase in the siege had 
 been passed— we found that the Russians could resist the allied 
 forces with vigour, and that they were capable of acting on the 
 defensive with greater energy than we gave them credit for, 
 from their conduct at the Alma. The constant passage up the 
 Bosphorus of vessels M'ith troops on board from France, and 
 artillerj' and material from England, evinced the preparations 
 made by the Allies for the renewal of the struggle ; but there 
 were many who thought that the siege would not be over till 
 the following year, and that the Allies would have to undergo 
 the miseries of another winter in the open trenches. Sir 
 George Brown, who had ever entertained a most gloomy view 
 of our position, the falseness and danger of which, in a military 
 sense, he rather exaggerated than undervalued, left the army on 
 sick certificate two days after Lord Raglan's death, and the 
 generals in command were new and untried men, in comparison 
 with those who fii'st led our army to the Crimean campaign.
 
 8 OMIXOUS CHANGES. 
 
 On the 30tli June, Major-Geneval Codi'ington was appointed 
 to the command of the Light Division ; and at tlie same date, 
 Major-General Barnard was nominated to the Second Division. 
 By these changes and promotions, Colonel Van Straubenzee, of 
 the 3rd Euifs, became Brigadier of the 1st Brigade, Light 
 Division; Colonel Spencer, of the 41th Ixegiment, became 
 Brigadier of the 1st Brigade, 4th Division ; and Colonel Barlow, 
 of the 14th, assvnned the command of the 1st Brigade of the 
 3rd Division. We received about this time the 3rd, 13th, 31st, 
 and 72nd Regiments, which were attached to the 2nd, 4th, and 
 1st Divisions. But as reinforcements slowly poured in, a great 
 drain on the strength of the army was steadily increasing in the 
 trenches — our losses began to reach 300 men Jiors de combat 
 in every week. 
 
 The cholera also was diminishing the numbers of the daily 
 tales of effective men, and there was reason to believe that the 
 Russians were receiving large reinforcements just at the time 
 that our strength was failing. The losses of the enemy were, 
 indeed, enormous ; but so was the army which supplied the 
 garrison, and held the positions outside the city. General 
 Simpson, under such circumstances, had a most difficult duty 
 to fulfil. Constant demands were made upon us by the French 
 general to take such and such rifle pits, which annoyed them, 
 or to construct batteries and parallels for the purpose of re- 
 lieving their siege works ; and although it is quite true that 
 they aided us materially on several points, by diverting and 
 checking the enemy's fire upon us, it will be found, I think, 
 that we rendered them a greater amount of assistance than we 
 received. The principal events of the siege, and the military 
 movements of the army, will be found detailed in the following 
 abstract, which will, I fear, prove dry and uninteresting to any 
 but military people, and lovers of dates and facts : — From the 
 attack of the 18th June to 10th July, the enemy were em- 
 ployed in strengthening their works ; and they made such 
 progress at the Eedan, that it was judged expedient to open a 
 heavy fire upon them from the allied batteries. This com- 
 menced at five o'clock on the morning of the 10th, and lasted 
 for four hours ; two embrasures were destroyed, and tlie 
 enemy's reply was feeble, — but they did not cease from their 
 labours, and we were obliged to reserve our ammunition for a 
 more general bombardment. An alteration was made in the 
 trench service at the same time, and it was ordered that the
 
 APPOINTMENTS. 9 
 
 generals of the day sliould not be named in General Orders, but 
 that the duties in each attack should be done by divisions alter- 
 nately. Thus, for example, the First Division took the left, 
 and the Second Division took the right attack, on one day ; 
 the Third Division took the left, and the Fourth Division took 
 the right attack next day, and so on in rotation ; but the 
 arrangements were left to the Generals of Division as much as 
 possible. The English cavalry, long inactive, began to look 
 forward to service in the field, as hopes were held out 
 that a strong movement would be made against the Russian 
 corps on the Upper Belbek; and Colonel Shewell, who com- 
 manded the Light Cavalry Brigade, in Lord George Paget's 
 absence, was an officer who showed, on the 25th of October, 
 that he only needed an opportunity to handle cavalry Avith 
 intelligence and effect. On the 12th July, General Barnard 
 was appointed Chief of the Staff, and on the 15th Colonel 
 Warren assumed the command of the First Brigade and 
 Colonel Trollopc was named Brigadier of the Second Brigade of 
 the Second Division. General Simpson had, unfortunately, on 
 several occasions, the opportunity of proving that he was disposed 
 to punish, with great severity, the crime of drunkenness on the 
 part of officers ; and no loss than three gentlemen were cashiered, 
 by court-martial, for that offence, in a few days, one after the 
 other. Major-General Markham arrived on the 19th July, 
 and assumed the command of the Second Division : but he had 
 materially injured his health by the exertions he made in tra- 
 velling through India to get to the Crimea, and on no subse- 
 quent occasion did he add to the higli reputation he had gained 
 in the East. The position of the contending pai'ties at this 
 period was as follows : — The enemy held Sebastopol fl-om the 
 sea north of Quarantine Bay to Careening Creek, their communi- 
 cation with the north side being kept up solely by boats and 
 rafts. They were overlapped by the French, who were in pos- 
 session of the works at Mount Saporine, and who held trenches 
 and works on the south-western side of Quarantine Bay ; but the 
 Saporine works were much exposed to a cross fire from the 
 Eussian works across the Tchernaya, at Inkermann, from the 
 north side, from the Little Redan, and from the shipping. On 
 the rear of our position the Turks held the south-eastern 
 defences of Balaklava, from the sea to Kamara, where they lay 
 ■with their left on the Highland Division. The Highlanders 
 had the Sardinians on their left again, facing towards the
 
 10 OMINOUS CIIAKGES. 
 
 Tclicvnnya ; and the French army of observation was encamped 
 on the left of the Sardinians, along the Fedioukine heii^ht.s, on 
 the plain of Balaklava, extending along the Woronzow road till 
 thej' communicated with the French army on our right ilank at 
 Inkerman, and on the verge of tlie plateau in our rear. The 
 Kussians held the northern side of the Tchernaya, the Mac- 
 kenzie ridge, the mountainous couutiy from Mangoup-Kale 
 towards Ozembash, the position at Aitodor, and the mountain 
 ridges overlooking Ourkusta Chution and other Tartar villages. 
 Here thej' were watching the French corps, which had been 
 pushed be3'ond our lines into the valley of Baidar. The high 
 mountains between the enemy and the sea are not suitable for 
 the passage of artillery, which could only be brought against us 
 from the coast by way of the Phoi'os pass. This pass was oc- 
 cupied by the French, and the road was deeply scarjjed; but 
 it was nevertheless necessary to keep a constant watch on the 
 enemy in this direction, as he was known to have a force of in- 
 fantiy and artillery at Alupka. 
 
 On the 21st July, General Simpson published the following 
 order : — 
 
 " General Simpson announces to the army that he has had 
 the honour to receive from Her Majesty the Queen the appoint- 
 ment of Commander-in-Chief of the Army in the Crimea. 
 
 •' The Lieutenant-General, though deeply impressed with the 
 responsibility of the position in which he is placed, is most 
 proud of the high and distinguished honour, and of the confi- 
 dence thus reposed in him by his Sovereign. 
 
 " It will be the Lieutenant-General's duty to endeavour to 
 follow in the steps of his great predecessor, and he I'eels confi- 
 dent of the support of the generals, and of the officers and 
 soldiers, in maintaining unimpaired the honour and discipline of 
 this noble arm3^ 
 
 (Signed) "James Simpson, 
 
 " Lieutenant-General Commanding." 
 
 The personal Stafi" of His Excellency consisted of Captain 
 Colville, llifle Brigade ; Captain Lindsay, Scots Fusilcer Guards ; 
 Major Dowbiggen, 4th Foot (appointed by electric telegraph). 
 Lieut.-Colonel Stephenson was appointed ]\Iilitary Secretary, 
 although Colonel Steele still remained at head-quarters ; and 
 Colonel Pakenham was confirmed as Adjutant-General, at the 
 request of Lord llaglan, in the last dispatch he ever penned.
 
 CASUALTIES. 1 1 
 
 On the 21st, Captain LusLington, who was promoted to the 
 rank of Admiral, was relieved in the command of the Naval 
 Brigade by Captain the Hon. H. Keppel, a most zealous, cool, 
 and energetic officer. Commissary-General Filder, at the same 
 date, returned home to England, on the recommendation of a 
 Medical Board. Frigid in manner, unsj'mpathetic and chilling 
 with his officers, Mr. Filder possessc.'d very great administrative 
 talents — a thorougli knowledge of his duties and business — 
 unwearying assiduity, and immense personal activity. If he 
 failed, it was from want of co-operation on the part of others, 
 and from the pressure of circumstances too great to be borne. 
 His successor, Sir George Maclean, a careful and prudent man, 
 reaped the fruits of Mr. Filder's labours for many a day after- 
 wards. 
 
 On the night of the 22nd, the Russians, who were either 
 trader the impression that the Allies were about to make an 
 assault in the dai'k, or wished to stop our working parties, 
 opened a heavy fire of musketry along their line, but it inflicted 
 no loss upon us ; and after a great expenditure of ammunition, 
 they retired from the parapets. From the middle to the end 
 of July, the casualties in our army became so heavy, that the 
 Commander-in-Chief, in several dispatches, was obliged to ex- 
 press his regret at the loss, Avhich he attributed to the proxi- 
 mity of the works, the lightness of the nights, and the rocky 
 nature of the ground. On two nights from the 27th to the 
 29th, thirteen men were killed, and five officers, and 108 men 
 were Avounded, in addition to which, there were some casualties 
 in the Naval Brigade. However, some little progress was 
 made; our advanced parallels were strengthened, and our 
 unlucky fifth parallel was advanced and deepened. The French 
 engineers were pressing on with indefatigable energy on the 
 j'ight and left of our position, and were close to the Malakhoff on 
 the right, and the Central and Flag-staff Bastion on the left ; 
 and it was evident that, at the next bombardment, it would 
 scarcely be possible to preserve the town from destruction. The 
 only hope left to the Russians was, to attack our rear, and 
 threaten Balaklava and Inkerman, and they prepared to strike 
 a blow, the influence of which would be felt in the councils of 
 Vienna, and in the cabinets of every state in Eui'ope.
 
 12 LINE OF TUE TCIIEKNAYA. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CONTEST ON THE LINE OF THE TCHEENATA, 
 
 The Eussian ships in the harbour of Sebastopol a sourci' of continual 
 annoyance to the Allies — Preparations on botli sides for a struggle — 
 The Malaklioffthe key of Sebastopol — Scarcity of fodder in the Kussian 
 camp — Healthy state of the Knglisli troops — Deaths of Colonel Vico and 
 Mr. Calvert — The plague of Hies — Various stratagems to evade their 
 attacks — Strength of the enemy's position — Probable abandonment by 
 the Russians of the southern side of Sebastopol in case their retreat 
 should be endangered — Kumours respecting the new commander of the 
 English army — Arrangements of the commissariat for the coming 
 winter — Destruction of the battery erected by the French between the 
 Mamelon and the Malakhoff — Perseverance of the Russians. 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol, July 10, 1S55. 
 
 This morning we were roused by a pretty heavy firing from our 
 batteries and from the Redan, which, commencing at daybreak, 
 lasted for nearly four hours, during which it was directed on the 
 advanced works. About eight o'clock this cannonade gradually 
 died away, and for the remainder of the day the occasional booming 
 of the guns was heard, as it has been for many months. The cause 
 of this morning's activity in the Redan was an attempt on the 
 part of the Russians to impede the construction of the heavy 
 battery by which the British hope to reach the shipping, and to be 
 able either to destroy it or force the vessels to leave the position 
 •xvhich has been lield with such obstinacy, and which was used with 
 such effect on the ISth of June. It will be remembered, that 
 on that day the Russian sliips moored in two lines across the 
 harbour, fired broadsides on the allies as they were advancing, 
 and mowed them down witli more fatal effect than even the 
 works of the Malakhoff and Redan. The French sufiered 
 di'eadfuUy from this terrible fire, which was sustained during 
 the whole action, and General Pelissier, though by no means 
 a cautious commander, is understood to shrink from sending 
 his troops to be a second time exposed to such a reception. 
 The fire on our side was intended to check the Russians in 
 their works on the Redan. The general opinion is, that 
 no new attack on the Malakhoif ought to be hazarded 
 until the fleet has been dislodged from its position, and 
 driven into a part of the liarbour where it cannot be
 
 PREPAKATIONS, 13 
 
 employed against the allies. Of course I say nothing of 
 the means by which this is to be effected. At present 
 everything betokens on both sides the busy preparation for a 
 determined attack and an equally stern defence. On our part 
 it is only the repetition of what has often been described, the 
 landing of shot and shell on the encumbered wharfs of Bala- 
 klava, and the passage of Avagons and of strings of mules 
 along the parched and thirsty road. The wind raises clouds 
 of dust in which whole convoys are enveloped, and rendered 
 invisible for minutes together, or sweeps along in eddies, with 
 a spinning pillar of dust like a water-spout. The monotony 
 of the trenches is relieved by the conviction, that in a few days 
 the efforts which were unsuccessful three weeks ago will be 
 renewed. The French are making visible progress in their sap 
 towards the Malakhoff. Half way between this stronghold and 
 the Mamelon, in which our allies are firmly established, a long 
 trench is visible, showing how far they have advanced since the 
 last attack. The Russians have made no serious attempt to 
 retake this latter position, although the night before last there 
 was a sortie, on a small scale, in which some sharp fighting 
 took place, the end of it being, that the Russians retired, 
 after having caused some trifling interruption to the French 
 works. But the enemy is, no doubt, much more actively 
 employed in strengthening the Malakhoff' itself, which he 
 must feel to be the key of Sebastopol. Should this now 
 celebrated hillock fall into the hands of the allies, no ingenuity 
 or obstinacy of defence can delay the capture of the southern 
 side beyond a few weeks. There is every reason to believe that 
 the Russians are day and night at work deepening the ditch 
 and constructing abattis. A very large body of troops is con- 
 stantly under arms, and every means are used to avoid a surprise 
 like that by which the French obtained such easy possession of 
 the Mamelon. But it seems to be not alone the Malakhoff and 
 Redan which the enemy is strengthening. The Russian en- 
 gineers are evidently constructing works on a very large scale 
 behind the fortifications with which we have been brought in 
 contact. The harbour swarms with boats. Craft of all shapes 
 and sizes are continually crossing and re-crossing, carrying 
 gabions, fascines, and trunks of trees for the construction of 
 abattis, as well as provisions and ammunition. They discharge 
 their cargoes, and immediately return for fresh ones, each 
 boat probably making some twelve or foui'teen trips a-day. 
 The ships' boats seem all to be em.ployed at this work, which
 
 14: LINE OF THE TCIIEEXAYA. 
 
 is no doubt performed by the sailors. The large supply of wood 
 yielded hj the forests of the Cruiiea has been one of tlie chief 
 aids to the defence of Sebastopol. Fuel for the steamers and 
 for cookery has been obtained in abundance, and the want of 
 coal has probably been little felt. Trees idled, and brought a 
 distance of many miles, form the strong abattis, six feet high, 
 ■which is one of the chief defences of the Redan. Fascines for 
 the works have been obtained from Nikolaev and Kherson, 
 and are brought in vast quantities. 
 
 The great number of arabas captvired by the French in their 
 expedition across the Tchernaya would seem to indicate that 
 ample means of transport exist in the peninsula; but the forage 
 for the beasts which draw the Russian carts, and the herds of 
 cattle with which the garrison is supplied with meat, must now 
 begin to fail. In the spring and early summer the country is 
 covered with a long rich grass, which aflbrds sufficient ibdder 
 for all the animals required for the purposes of a most extensive 
 transport service and commissariat. As June draws to a close 
 this begins to wither, and although the present summer has been 
 more than usually cool, and the north winds have kept the 
 atmosphere moister than is generally the case, yet, in the vicinity 
 of our camp, such a thing as a green blade of grass is hardly to 
 be found, except in the vicinity of the Tchernaya. The other 
 streams of which the Russians have possession are of much 
 smaller volume than this river, and the steppe to the north is, 
 without doubt, entirely dried up. Hence will arise difficulties 
 in the means of sustaining their armj', which will put the skill 
 and energy of our enemies to the test. 
 
 The camp is healthy enough, and it is probable that the 
 summer will pass away without any of that sickness to which 
 the nation has looked forward with such forebodings. The 
 heat is by no means equal to the general temperature of the 
 country in former years ; in fact, both here and in Turkey the 
 summer has been cool, and fever and diarrhoea have not been 
 so prevalent as they were last year. Balaklava has been, it is 
 true, much afflicted with cholera, but the scene of its greatest 
 ravages was the top of the harbour, where many thousand 
 Turks lie with only a few inches of light mould between them 
 and the air, and where the bodies are often laid bare in all their 
 hideous ghastliness by one ot the thunder showers of the Crimea. 
 The vessels outside the harbour were tolerably free from the 
 disease, and since the transports which wo'e crowded one upon 
 the other in the narrow and huid-locked port have been tome-
 
 DISEASE. 15 
 
 what thinned, the place has become tolerably healthy. If a low 
 and sultry village like Balaklava bo free from disease in the 
 middle of July, there is little cause for melancholy forebodings 
 as to the health of troops encamped on a lofty plateau, exposed to 
 every breeze that blows, and far removed from a too prolific 
 vegetation. Last year the seeds of cholera and fever were 
 fostered by encamping in wooded Bulgarian valleys, in the 
 vicinity of fetid morasses, or within the limits of a crowded and 
 filthy seaport. The disease thus engendered was brought by the 
 two armies to the Crimea, where privations and fatigue ex- 
 tended its ravages, and caused them to continue far beyond the 
 season at which the}'- generally cease. Before Sebastopol the 
 allies are encamped on a spot whei'e no deleterious emanations can 
 reach them, except those engendered by the necessary impurities 
 of a camp, and these, through the care taken in burning or 
 bui-ying all oii'ensive matter, have as yet had little effect on the 
 health of the troops. As to fever, the usual season for it is 
 June, and this month has now past without causing any un- 
 usual sickness in the camp. It is therefore to be hoped that the 
 autumn will not be marked by any serious calamity. As to the 
 dangers to be dreaded from winter, they may be averted by 
 proper care and foretiiought. 
 
 JuJii 11. 
 
 To-day there has been heavy shelling from the Redan, 
 against our advanced works. Lieutenant Mousell, 39tli 
 Regiment, was killed in the trenches. The French are fast 
 completing their battery at the Ouvrages Blancs. I have 
 to relate the melancholy deaths of two gentlemen connected 
 -with the staff of our army. One is Colonel Vico, French. 
 Commissioner at the head -quarters of the British army, and 
 holding the same situation here that General Rose fills on 
 the staff of General Pelissier. Colonel Vico died of cholera, 
 which disease has struck down so many of the notables of 
 the camp within the last few weeks, and his death is greatly 
 regretted by the staff-officers, with v/h.om he was a great 
 favourite. Mr. Calvert, a gentleman well acquainted with the 
 Russian language, and employed as interpreter and confidential 
 agent to the Commander-in-Chief, is the other victim.* People 
 are beginning to fear that the pretty little farmhouse where 
 Lord Raglan established himself on his arrival before Sebas- 
 topol, is situate in a spot more than usually subject to malific 
 influences. Certainly, fatal cases of disease have followed one 
 * His real nuBic was Cuttley.
 
 16 LINE OF THE TCHEENAYA. 
 
 another with a rapidity unknown in other parts of the camp, 
 and the impression which might be made on the minds of 
 people at home hy the deaths of several distinguished officers 
 in succession, would convey too unfavourable an idea of the 
 state of the army in general. 
 
 Though delivered by the progi'ess of the siege from Russian 
 sorties, we are exposed to the attacks of other enemies, quite as 
 troublesome, if not dangerous. Every nook and cranny is in- 
 fested with millions of flies, which give one no rest by daj', and 
 little by night. Within the last week the evil has almost 
 become a plague. Situated as I am in the delightful vicinity 
 of several hundred commissariat mules, and a varied assortment 
 of empty sugar barrels and receptacles for beef and pork, it is 
 possible I may have more than my share of the attentions of these 
 pertinacious insects, which hover on every side in clouds, and settle 
 on the most irritable parts of the face without giving a moment's 
 relaxation. Like the Harpies, they literally "dispute the viands," 
 such as they are, on which we regale ourselves, a morsel in its 
 passage to the mouth being generally settled upon by two or 
 more of the insects, which require a vigorous shaking before 
 they will let go their hold. To remove them from a glass of 
 any liquid before tasting it, it is necessary to introduce three 
 fingers, and draw them from the vessel on the principle of 
 " dragging," as practised by the Humane Society. Tlie only 
 way to be at rest is to sit in a thoi-ough draught, which, when 
 surrounded by papers, is a somewhat troublesome position. As 
 you enter your hut after a few moments' absence they rise in 
 dense clouds with deafening buzz from every object. Irritable 
 suiferers pursue them desperately with towels, laying about 
 on every side : others try to carry on a more scientific warfare, 
 by burning old newspapers after closing every aperture ; but it 
 is useless — in five minutes the place is full with a fresh and 
 more hungry swarm. The only respite is at night, when the 
 invaders retire to rest on the ceiling in enormous black patches ; 
 but even then the introduction of a candle rouses them to all 
 the playfulness of noon. Seriously they are an unexpected and 
 most troublesome visitation, especially irritating to the poor sick 
 fellows in the hospital marquees, whom they prevent from 
 getting any repose the live-long day, and keep in a constant 
 state of nervous restlessness. For the next three months we 
 must be content to suffer all they can inflict, unless the rains of 
 September should prove fatal to them.
 
 ANTICIPATIONS. 17 
 
 Jidij 12. 
 
 Nothing new to-day. The French and Tnrks have finally 
 returned from their reconnaissance, and the country about Baidar 
 is again in the hands of the Cossacks. The quantity of cattle 
 driven in by them is vei-y great. The beasts, though not of the 
 large size we are accustomed to in England, are finer and better 
 fed than those obtained in Asia Minor ; at least as they reach us 
 after a voyage across the Black Sea. According to the observa- 
 tions of the scientific officers who accompanied this reconnaissance, 
 there is no weak point towards the Belbek, and now an attack 
 ou the Eussian position, from Inkermann to Simpheropol, is 
 considered all but hopeless. Nature seems as if she had 
 constructed the plateau they occupy as a vast defensible 
 position, which 50,000 men may hold against four times their 
 number. Of the reduction of Sebastopol Proper before the 
 winter I have no kind of doubt. That the Russians will hold 
 out with their accustomed obstinacy, even after the destruction 
 of their ships and the capture of the JMalakhofi', is more than 
 probable ; but the possession of a new position, commanding the 
 hai'bour and the bridge of boats which crosses it, must eventually 
 compel the enemy to retreat. The Russian generals, though 
 brave and determined on an obstinate defence, deserve credit for 
 the possessing of prudence and forethought. As long as a place 
 can be held with a chance of success, or even of damaging the 
 enem3% they will hold it ; but all their proceedings induce the 
 belief that they will not allow their troops to be cut to pieces 
 merely for the credit of having made a desperate resistance, and 
 of having maintained, without advantage, for a short time 
 longer, a position which, in a military sense, is untenable. 
 When they perceive that their retreat is seriously en- 
 dangered, it is not improbable that they will altogether 
 abandon the southern side, whicli they can hardly hope to hold 
 should the allies be able to command the harbour. They, no 
 doubt, count at least on being able to prolong their resistance 
 until the winter sets in ; if that be impossible, they will most 
 likely withdraw to the northern side, to which it may be imprac- 
 ticable to lay siege before the spring of 1856. What may be 
 done during the interval by the Russians to strengthen the 
 woi'ks, we may judge from the industry and skill witli which 
 they have laboured in the defence of Sebastopol Proper. 
 
 To-day, Major-General Barnard was appointed Chief of 
 the Staff', in the place of General Simpson, who is our acting 
 
 VOL. II. C
 
 18 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 General-in-Chief. Rumours prevail that a new Commander- 
 in-Chief is to come out from England. Whether this be 
 true I have not yet learnt, but it is to be hoped that 
 the Peninsula and Waterloo, at twenty-three or twenty-four 
 years of age, will not be the only qualification. It seems to all 
 here that the best school for Sebastopol is Sebastopol itself, and 
 that a man who has been six months in the Crimea is more 
 likely to be an efficient general than any one who may be sent 
 out in reliance upon vague reminiscences of campaigns in the 
 field forty years ago. It takes some little time to gain an 
 acquaintance even with the ground, and as autumn is drawing 
 on there is no need for delay. The onty reason that can be 
 conceived for sending out a general from England is that some 
 man of European reputation may be appointed, who may give a 
 status to the British army beyond what its present numbers are 
 calculated to obtain for it in the eyes of the world. There is 
 no doubt that Lord Raglan did this. His rank, his high cha- 
 racter, his manners, his superiority to pett}'' jealousies, and his 
 abstinence from petty intrigues, commanded the respect of even 
 those who were disposed to question his capacity and energy. 
 If this war be prosecuted for any length of time, and England 
 be not prepared to embark more fully in the struggle with men 
 as well as money, there is some danger that the British army 
 will be looked upon as a mere contingent. A general of esta- 
 blished reputation may add a lustre to the British name, but, 
 after all, the best reliance is upon skill and energy, and there are 
 many men at present before Sebastopol on whom the command 
 might devolve with satisfaction to the army, and with the reason- 
 able hope of a creditable performance of the duties of the post. 
 
 The Commissariat, both in the Crimea and at Constantinople, 
 is making laudable preparations to keep up a regular supply of 
 provisions during the coming winter. Depots are to be esta- 
 blished at Ismid and Sinope, and a regular transport service will 
 be organized between various places on the coast and the port of 
 Balaklava. Sheds for 4000 cattle will be constructed near the 
 camp. The chief difficulty is in the land transport, which wUl 
 require all the care of the authorities to render it complete when 
 the season of mud and snow again recurs. The railway is not 
 so firmly laid down as coidd be wished. The late storm washed 
 away several portions of it, the sleepers being merely placed on 
 the soft yielding soil, and this after tlie heavy rains oi'Novemher, 
 becomes a mass in which horses' hoofs sink to the depth of eight
 
 THE enemy's tactics. 19 
 
 or ten inches. A Commissariat should have a special transport 
 service at its own command ; but under the actual system requi- 
 sitions must be made on the Land Transport Corps. Even iu 
 the present summer weather this branch often cannot supply 
 mules, other requisitions having been made on them for carrying 
 up ammunition. Some persons go so far as to prophesy for the 
 ai'my an irregularity in the provisioning, similar to that which 
 caused so much sufi'ering in the past calamitous v/inter ; but the 
 very fact that such dangers are foreseen and discussed, ailbrds the 
 surest ground of confidence that proper measures will be adopted 
 for their prevention. At any rate, our men will not be over- 
 worked, for we have the French on all sides of us to take their 
 share of the labour of the trenches. A singula*- fact elicited by 
 Sir J. McNeil, but known to all acquainted with the army, is, 
 that during the winter every man cooked his own food. The 
 cold and weary soldier, creeping back from the trenches, found 
 his piece of salt meat. In order to cook this, it was necessary 
 to light a fire, often with wet wood, and this was probably the 
 work of more than an hour. The consequence was, that the 
 food was often devoured in its raw state, or the tired soldier con- 
 tented himself merely with rum and biscuit. A better system 
 has begun to prevail with regard to cooking, which, it is to be 
 hoped, will be developed and perfected before the return of 
 inclement weather. 
 
 July 13. 
 Last night the Russians kept up a tremendous fire all along 
 their line. It has been blowing a gale for the last twenty-four 
 hours, and the wind bore the sound of the heavy guns towards us. 
 The very ground shook. I am sorry to say that the battery which 
 theFrenchhadconstructedbetweentheMamelonandtheMalakhoff 
 has been knocked to pieces by the powerful fire of the latter fort. 
 A colonel and about thirty officers and men were put Jiors de 
 combat, and the siege works have received a decided check. In 
 fact, as the Allies advance towards the actual defences of the 
 place, they must expect to meet with more elaborate works, and 
 obstacles heaped on one another with all the care which nine 
 months of preparation admit. Even now the enemy are con- 
 tinually occupied in strengthening the Malakhofi". It is not 
 what it was on the 18th of June, and a fortnight hence it will 
 not be what it is now. The French battery at the White Works, 
 however, still goes on, and its effect will be proved iu a few 
 days. 
 
 c 2
 
 20 LINE OF THE TCHERNATA. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Feast of St. Smthin — Rain, wind and mud— Formidable wovlcs in and 
 about tlie Miilakhoil" — Are there foiindiies and iiowder-mills in Sebus- 
 topol? — Preparations for the wur by the late Czar — New battery in 
 course of erection by tlie French — Amusing letter from a Russian lady 
 to lier sister — Omar Pasha's head-quarters — The Turks do not assist iix 
 the siege-operations — Humours of an expedition to relieve Kars — Un- 
 fair treatment of the Naval Brigade in the matter of promotion — 
 Satisfactory progress of the -.xorks — Stratagem by which the Russians 
 succeeded in establishing rifle-pits in front of tlie French sap — The 
 French construct a new battery — Idlers upon Cathcart's Hill — Omar 
 Pasha, being anxious to distinguish himself, is annoyed at the inaction 
 to which he is doomed in the Crimea. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, JliJii 15. 
 High winds have prevailed during the last twenty-four hours, 
 and du.sky clouds sweep along the sky, while the air has become 
 damp and chilly even at noon-day. This is the Feast of St. 
 Swithin, and the day has been duly marked by violent rain aitd 
 loud peals of thunder, while the Russian position over the valley 
 of the Tchernaya has been hidden by a dark blue veil of rain- 
 cloud, and the smoke of the guns of »^ebastopol can scarcely 
 penetrate the watery mist which overhangs the town. The 
 canvas of the tents in the sodden camp Haps dismally, the huts 
 are dank and dripping, and before the doors little pools of water 
 are collected on the ground, which is trodden into a deep slimj' 
 mud. The temperature this evening outside is that of an English 
 November, and as the wind whistles among the tents, one may 
 fancy that the trees are being stripped of the last of their 
 withered leaves, and that the frosts of winter have already 
 arrived. But this will be over in a few days, and then the heats 
 of August will parch the ground once more, wells and tanks 
 will again yield onlj' a scanty supply, and summer almost out- 
 live the month of September. To-day there has been heavy 
 firing between the IMalakhoff and the advanced French batteries. 
 Last night the Russians made a sortie from the Malakhoff on 
 the IGth of the French Line, who were at work on the trenches 
 and parallels, which our allies are pushing with all possible 
 energy in advance of the Mamelon. The affair took place 
 about ten o'clock and lasted nearly an hour, ending, as 
 usual, in the repulse of the Russians, and their retreat to 
 their works, after having inflicted more or less damage upon
 
 STATE OF THE MALAKHOFF. 21 
 
 those of the French. During the rain the flashes of the guns 
 flickered indistinctly in the distance, while the wind brought 
 the reports with more than usual distinctness to the ear. The 
 loss of the French in the affair of last night is stated by them 
 to be two officers and thirty men hors de combat, but from the 
 duration and magnitude of the struggle one might have expected 
 it to have been much greater. The French have pushed their 
 Avorks almost to the abattis of the Malakhoff, and are so near 
 that a man may throw a stone into the Russian position. The 
 abattis is described to be a truly formidable obstacle. It is 
 formed of trunks of oak and beech from the woods of the Crimea, 
 and is more than six feet in height. Attempts will no doubt 
 be made to destroy it with shot and shell before a fresh assault is 
 hazarded. The Russians may still be observed continually at 
 work on this position, which is now recognised as the key of 
 Sebastopol. They have also been engaged lately in repairing 
 the Redan, which had suffered a great deal from the continual 
 fii'e of the English batteries. Last night a sortie on a small 
 scale took place upon the French left, but, although the fire 
 was heavy while it lasted, the affair was soon over. All agi-ee 
 that nothing will be done on this part of the position, and that 
 the real point of attack will be the Malakhoff works, the capture 
 of which will render the Redan untenable, and make the sur- 
 render of the south side of the place merely a question of a 
 few weeks. 
 
 July le. 
 
 Heavy firing last night and this morning. Never since the 
 beginning of the siege were both parties so thoroughly in earnest 
 as at present. The exchange of shot and shell is almost incessant. 
 The French can, of course, be supplied with these munitions of 
 war to any extent, but to the resources of their adversaries there 
 must be, one would think, some limit. That foundries exist in 
 Sebastopol there can be little doubt ; some of the shot thrown at 
 tis is perfectly smooth and new, and seems as if it had just been 
 cast ; moreover, it is impossible to believe that a great naval 
 arsenal can be without the means of manufacturing its own 
 munitions. Powder-mills probably also exist; but in regard 
 both to powder and shot one naturally wonders where the 
 material for the manufacture is to come from. A small 
 quantity of iron may be obtained by re-casting our shot and the 
 pieces of shell, but probably a great part of the former goes 
 into the harbour, and the supply is too small and precai'ious
 
 22 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 for a Government like the Eussian to depend upon it. It seems 
 more lilvcly that an organized system of transport feeds Sebas- 
 topol with munitions as well as corn, and that durini^ the 
 summer every endeavour has been and will for the future be mado 
 to supply the garrison with sutlicient resources to hold out during 
 the winter, when the ti'ansport of heavy articles upon the roads of 
 the Crimea wiU be a matter of considerable difficulty. As long 
 ago as August, 1853, two or three houses of Odessa entered into 
 a joint contract to supply the Government with 14,000 military 
 carts : although these were, no doubt, destined for the campaign 
 in the Priucipalities, yet they Avere afterwards transferred, with 
 thousands moi"e, to the defence of Sebastopol ; and the fact of 
 such contracts having been made is suiMcient to show the scale 
 on which the late Emperor was ready to carry out his viev/s, 
 and the facilities which the Crimean fortress still enjoys for 
 continuing a defence that may seem wonderful to those who do 
 not consider how long it had been foreseen and prepared for. 
 
 The French are very sanguine about their ability to reach 
 the shipping from the new battery they are erecting at the 
 White Works. That the Russians also have some misgivings 
 on the subject is evident from the assiduity with which they 
 foe into the newly constructed work. The long GS-pounders 
 with which it is to be armed seem sufficiently formidable to 
 destroy the vessels even at the distance of three thousand 
 yards, but as yet the ships remain moored in two lines across 
 the harbour, while boats flit along on all sides of them in 
 ceaseless activity. Our battery near the Quarries is almost 
 ready, and in less than a week this matter will be decided. 
 
 Our casualties of late have not been heavy. No officer 
 has fallen since Lieutenant Mansell, of the 39fch. There is 
 little sickness, considering that a force of 150,000 men is con- 
 centrated in front of Sebastopol. Complaints are again current 
 respecting the want of mattresses for the wounded in camp. 
 The care or the terror of Government has provided these articles 
 in abundance at Scutari, but in the hospital marquees there is a 
 great want of theni; and the men are lying in discomfort. The 
 Sick and Wounded Fund has been applied to in order to remedy 
 this want; but, while stores are lying useless in the half-empty 
 hospitals of the Bosphorus, it seems a waste of money to buy 
 fresh articles which could be supplied by a little arrangement 
 between the medical officers ot the two places. 
 
 The following letter fell into my hands a day or two since
 
 A LETTER. 23 
 
 wLen I was up on a visit to a deserted village about twelve 
 miles from BaUiklava. It is in a female hand, and is dated the 
 very day of the capture of the Mamelon Vert, from a village to 
 the north of Sebastopol. Omitting the domestic details, I 
 cannot forbear giving the political and military contents, which 
 may be considered public property : — 
 
 JMay 2G {June 7). 
 
 " You are not, my dear sister, in a very safe position ; accord- 
 ing to my judgment, the enemy is cnlj?^ a few steps from you at 
 Toross. The Uaidar road is broken up. We have alread}"^ sent 
 pioneers to the coast to break up the roads in case of the arrival 
 of the enemy ; they have taken a sufficient quantity of powder. 
 In your letter of the 12th of May, (24th,) you said all was quiet 
 about you, but it cannot be so now. Kertch is taken ; at Arabat 
 there was a battle, in which we were victorious. They even say 
 that a Russian army is marching upon Paris. Up to to-day 
 all was quiet in Sebastopol. To-day, the enemy bombarded 
 heavily, but did notliing but bombard, and will do nothing; 
 they can do nothing at all against us. Mother, who has just 
 come from there, says it is impossible to recognise the town, it 
 is so much changed by the fortifications continually added to it. 
 At the Severnaya, you enter as through a gate, with enormous 
 batteries on each side. Slother was there a day when it was 
 quite quiet ; she even slept in the town that night. At ten 
 o'clock a shell fell into the gallery near the window ; happily, 
 it did not fall into the room, or she might have been hurt. * * 
 They say that the seat of wai- will soon be transferred to the 
 Danube. It is time that these gentlemen should leave us, and 
 let us have a little rest. As soon as they go, the town of Sebas- 
 topol will be built where the Chersonese was, and what is now 
 Sebastopol will be entirely a fortress. How curious it will be, 
 till one gets accustomed to it," &c. 
 
 The writer goes on to speak of her yellow dress being ready, 
 and of her intention of going in it to Sebastopol in order to have 
 her portrait taken. It would appear that the Russians are 
 taking the thing very coolly, or rather were doing so six weeks 
 ago. But within a few hours after the foregoing letter was 
 written the Mamelon was attacked, and the most brilliant opera- 
 tion of the siege performed. The bombardment, which the fair 
 writer and her military friends treated with such contempt, was 
 no doubt expected by them to resemble the operations of Uctober 
 and April, and to be followed up by no attack. It would seem
 
 24 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 that for once we found the Eussians unprepared, and bj' avail- 
 ing ourselves of that opportunity, a^aincd the most signal success 
 -which has attended the siege operations, a success which, if it 
 had been followed up, would, no doubt, have led to still more 
 glorious results. The Sevcrnaya alluded to in the letter is what 
 we call the Star Fort, or is more probably the name for the 
 whole northern faubourg. The Uussians are busily at work, 
 strengthening this part of the place, as well as their positions 
 on the Katcha and J3clbek, in anticipation of operations at some 
 future period for the entire possession of Sebastopol and the 
 Crimea. 
 
 Omar Pasha has his head-quai-ters near Ivamara. It is 
 difficult to imagine a spot more romantic than the one selected 
 by the Ottoman General. It is situate on a slope facing the 
 sea, and is in the shadow of Cape Aia, which rises perpendicu- 
 larly from the Euxine to a height of 700 feet. In the hollow, 
 near the Pasha's head-quarters, a Tartar Bey has pitched his 
 tent. He fled with his family either from the severity or the 
 threats of the Russians, and made his submission to the Turkish 
 General. His conduct is perhaps not wise, as he will lose all 
 his property, which will be seized by the Russian Government, 
 and the Turks will leave him to die in a ditch directly he has 
 ceased to be useful to them. It is a singular thing, that while 
 the French and British troops consider their most harassing 
 work to be the duty in the trenches, the Turks, who are equally 
 interested in the event of the war, and will be the most bene- 
 fited by its success, do not take any share in actual siege opera- 
 tions, and are now amusing themselves with the mere 
 pastime of foraging, or actually sitting in indolence for hours 
 together, following the shadows of their tents as they move 
 from west to east, smoking stolidly, or grinning at the antics of 
 some mountebank comrade. Omar Pasha goes hither and 
 thither without object, merely that his army may seem to be 
 employed ; its actual services are of little importance. It is 
 said that an agreement was made between the allied Generals 
 and the Porte that the Turks were not to assist in the siege. 
 But why not ? and can such an arrangement be binding when 
 the public good demands a different com'se ? If the Ottoman 
 troops be so excellent behind fortifications, there can be no 
 objection to their relieving their hard-worked allies in some of 
 the less important positions : or they might at least be employed 
 in some more active manner than merely moving to and fro occa-
 
 OMAR PASHA. 2-5 
 
 sionally, as if for the purpose of impressing the niind of Europe 
 with a false idea of activity. The rumour has spread within the hisfc 
 few days that Omar Pasha is to go to Ivars, in order to relieve 
 the place and oppose the advance of the Russians in Asia. But 
 this, if seriously contemplated, can be intended only as a 
 measure of preparation for next year's campaign, and the object 
 will be rather to save Erzcroum than Kars. Should the trans- 
 portation of the Turkish army to Trebizonde be determined 
 upon, it will not take less than two months, even Avith the help 
 of the British marine, to convey it across, a longer term having 
 been required for the transport from Varna to Eupatoria, which 
 places are not so far apart. Allowing a month for the march 
 from Trebizonde to Kars, it would be November before the army 
 could reach its new position ; and at that season the lofty table- 
 land of Armenia is deep in snow, and all military operations 
 will be suspended until the ensuing spring. But it is more than 
 probable that the report of the movement has no foundation. It 
 arises from a belief that the affairs of Asia have been grievously 
 neglected, that the present year has not bettered the position 
 of the Turks, and that there is danger lest the Russians should 
 actually succeed in wresting away an important province as well 
 as consolidating their reputation among the inhabitants of 
 Central Asia. To-day, Omar Pasha paid a visit to General 
 Simpson's head-quarters. 
 
 The Naval Brigade fancies itself hardly used in the matter of 
 promotion, and indeed it is difficult to come to any other con- 
 clusion than that its officers have been somewhat neglected by 
 the First Lord of the Admiralty. After the 17th of October, 
 a large promotion was made by Sir J. Graham, as the reward 
 of a single day's labour and danger, but since that time, although 
 a period of nearly eight months has elapsed, no single promo- 
 tion has been conferred on an officer of the Naval Brigade. 
 There are in this branch of the service lieutenanls of nine or 
 ten years* standing, who volunteered their services on shore, and 
 have been as much exposed to the hardships and danger of the 
 trenches as the officers of the army. The latter, by stepping into 
 death vacancies, and by brevets, have received a proper reward for 
 their services ; while the naval officers remain in their old posi- 
 tion, and are naturally disappointed and disgusted. It is hardly 
 sufficient to tell them that when Sebastopol is taken they will 
 have their promotion. Many will not live to see that day, and 
 in the case of mtu-ried men, the widows, who would be in the
 
 26 LINR OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 receipt of adequate pensions for their husbands' sei*vices, will be 
 left witli a maintenance not corresponding- to the merits and 
 sacrifices of those who have fallen in a prolonged siege. ]f the 
 one bombardment of October was thought worth}^ of a large 
 promotion, there should be some reward for three others, each 
 of which was more severe and more successful tiian the first — 
 not to mention nearly 300 nights of duty in the trenches, and 
 all the sufferings of the late terrible winter. 
 
 Jnhj 17. 
 
 Another sortie from the Slalakhofi' last night during a pom-ing 
 rain. It lasted about a quarter of an hour. Heavy firing all 
 night. This morning the French are said to be advancing 
 rapidly with their works. Tliey talk of being quite ready for 
 another assault in about a fortnight. 
 
 Juhj 21. 
 
 In spite of the heat which has followed the stormy weather 
 of last week, the operations of the siege are being pressed for- 
 Avai'd by the French on our right with indefatigable industry. 
 There is nothing in what goes forward which can strike tlie eye 
 of a stranger ; stagnation seems to reign in camp and trenches ; 
 even tlie heavy firing noticed a few days since has for the most 
 part died away ; yet every day an advance is made, and each 
 advance brings the allies nearer the crest of the Malakhoff, which 
 it vv-ill now require all the courage and tenacity of the Russians 
 to hold. The JMalakholi" and Mamelon stand upon an ele- 
 vated plateau, while the ridge that joins them is itself higher 
 than the land around. It is along this ridge that the French, 
 sap extends in a zigzag to within 170 yards of the hiU which 
 the Russians hold. As the incline is somewhat steep, the 
 French working parties are already out of reach of the Russian 
 guns, which cannot be sufficiently depressed to be used with any 
 effect against them. They can therefore continue their work 
 without danger, except from the riflemen, who hold every van- 
 tage spot, and use their best endeavours to pick off any enemy 
 Avho may show a part of his cap within their range ; but, as 
 these can be kept in check by French marksmen, while the guns 
 of the Mamelon are hourly thundering against the Russian 
 stronghold, the advantage is clearly on the side of our allies. 
 The latter have also thrown up a small battery for field-pieces 
 at the extremity of their sap, and this has hitherto prevented 
 the egress and formation of Russian troops for a sortie against 
 tiiem. These guns entirely command the points on which
 
 A HEAVY FIRE. 27 
 
 the Russians are in the habit of leaving their works, and they 
 consequently have been reduced to the extremity of replj'ing- to 
 all the advances of their enemy by merely the lire of musketry 
 from the erabrasures. The day before yesterday, however, a few 
 Eussians straggled out here and there, making their way by 
 dodging behind clumps of earth and bushes, until they had come 
 to within about eighty yards of the parapet, when they threw 
 themselves upon their faces, and began digging up earth for 
 cover. The French apparently did not observe the movement, 
 and our people, not catching sight of the venturesome Mus- 
 covites until they had made good the position they wished to 
 attain, fancied thern to be French. By this means the Russians 
 have established rifle pits in front of the French sap, where 
 they will do the usual amount of damage unless they be speedily 
 driven out. 
 
 On the 19th the French, observing signs of activity among 
 the Russians on their left, opened a furious fire from all their 
 batteries upon that part of the town. The fire, which was as 
 heavy as in any of the bombardments, continued for about half 
 an hour, and, having apparently eflected its object, ceased. On 
 the side of the JMalakholF the French have discovered the way 
 by which the Russian reserves are moved into the works. It 
 appears that two deep trenches lead to the Malakhoff, one on 
 the side of the Redan, the other on the side of the Little Redan, 
 towards Careening Bay. To interrupt, at least, the latter 
 means of communication, the French have established a small 
 battel"}', which is as yet unmasked. It will play on the covei'ed 
 way on the side of the Little Redan, and to a great extent stop 
 the advance of the Russian reserves, while the French are 
 assaulting the works themselves. 
 
 Jahj 20. 
 
 To-day there has been a veritable July sun ; not a breath of 
 air stirring. Over the Black Sea hangs the mist which always 
 appears when the sun pours down his rays with more than 
 usual power. The firing was slack this morning, but towards 
 afternoon it increased considerably, and at the present moment 
 there is a sharp cannonade kept up from the I\Ialakhofr, and 
 now and then a volley of musketry announces that the skir- 
 mishers are at work. We have constructed another battery 
 mounting two Lancaster guns to the left, in advance of the 
 21-gun battery. Somewhat further in the same direction a 
 battery of six guns had been raised to fire on the shipping, but.
 
 28 LIXE OP THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 it having been found that the position was too low for the pur- 
 pose, mortars have been substituted, and tlie fire will, no doubt, 
 open in a few days. The Lancasters have not yet beea 
 mounted, but will probably be in position to-morrow. 
 
 The health of the men is still excellent, and their spirits do 
 not in the least suffer by the length and wearisomeness of the 
 siege. The summer is cool, and, as the Russians have of late 
 made very few sorties, the nights in the trenches are passed 
 without much hardship. When formed in marching order to 
 descend the oft-trodden ravines which lead to the batteries, the 
 men betraj' neither despondency nor unwillingness ; the laugh 
 and the joke prevail, their air is brisk and alert ; how dif- 
 ferent from their appearance in the gloomy season of last 
 December ! The noise of skittles is to be heard on every side, 
 and the regimental bands, sadly diminished indeed as to num- 
 bers, but still effective for amusement, play the various popular 
 airs to which we are accustomed at home. Cathcart's-hill is 
 every evening the resort of hundreds of idlers, Avho, stretched at 
 lengtli on the dried grass, or sitting on the piles of stones which 
 enclose many an honoured grave, look down on tiie beleaguered 
 city, and watch with lazy indifference the flashes which burst 
 forth from Mamelon, Malakhoff, or Redan. 
 
 Omar Pasha has not yet returned from Constantinople. He 
 is heartily tired of his position in the Crimea, and wishes for a 
 field in which he can gain some distinction, or at least keep up 
 the reputation which he achieved on the banks of the Danube. 
 "When he was directed or invited to repair to Eupatoria, he 
 naturally enough expected that some operations in the field 
 would quickly follow. Perhaps such a course was impossible, on 
 account of a deficiency in the means of transport ; but there is 
 reason to believe that, had it been adopted, the Russian army 
 would be in much greater danger than at present, and Sebas- 
 topol much nearer its fall. A hostile force a clieval on the 
 roads from Perekop would have compelled the Russians to 
 fight at a disadvantage and to keep open their communications, 
 as all their provisions are brought by this route. Now that 
 the plan of direct attack on Sebastopol has been persisted in, the 
 Turkish hero finds that his occupation is gone, and, although a 
 transfer to Asia would leave the more honourable command on 
 the Danube in the hands of his rival, Ismail Pasha, he is never- 
 theless said to be desirous of making an attempt to relievo 
 Kara.
 
 THE SICK-LIST. 29 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Sanitary condition of the troops — Crimean mud — Arrival of the Duke of 
 Newcastle at Balaklava — Another storm and its consequences — Lake 
 in front of tlie writer's hut — Poultry under difficulties — Sharp practice — 
 Progress of tlie siege — Anecdote of General Pelissier — Rumours of 
 another Russian attack upon the line of the Tchernaya — Efi'ect of these 
 rumours upon tlie health of the troops — The Sardinian contingent at 
 church parade — Splendid appearance of the men — Tlie Sardinian 
 military system — In what particulars it resembles the different military 
 systems of France, Austria, and England — The Turks in the valley of 
 Baidar. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, Jahj 30. 
 Since the sortie of the 23rcl inst. nothing of importance, or 
 even of interest, has occurred here. The desultory fire, to which 
 we are accustomed, continues by day, usually swelling into a 
 roar of artillery for a portion of every night. Last evening, for 
 instance, the din began at half-past ten, and lasted, with inter- 
 vals, for about three hours. The casualties continue much as 
 before, not very heavy, although some days are unlucky, and 
 on the night of the 28tli the Guards had twenty-five or thirty 
 men killed and wounded. However unimportant, in a siege of 
 ordinary duration, would be the usual daily casualties expe- 
 rienced, in one so prolonged as that of Sebastopol it becomes a 
 serious consideration, especially when taken in conjunction with 
 the loss from disease. This, I am glad to say, diminishes. 
 Cholera cases have become very rare. Fever and diarrhoea pre- 
 vail, but not by any means to an alarming extent. Upon the 
 whole, the sanitary condition of our army must be deemed 
 satisfactory — far more so than many predicted that it would be 
 at this season. It appears to me that more might perhaps be 
 done by other departments to aid the medical to sustain the 
 health of the men. I have been told of instances in which 
 sufficient care is not taken to save them from exposure to the 
 burning sun and chilling dews, which in this climate produce 
 such pernicious effects. Thus the difference in the sick returns 
 of vai'ious regiments or batteries may be partly accounted 
 for. One hears of men being compelled to parade on Sunday, 
 in full dress, on which occasions some fall in the ranks from heat 
 and fatigue. This is obviously not a season or a spot for the 
 rigid enforcement of certain military practices which, in other 
 climates, may be proper and desirable. I do not dwell upon
 
 80 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 tliis point, because I have reason to believe that the gi-eat 
 majority of commanding officers are careful and considerate of 
 their men, and if some still adhei-e, rather tenaciously, to the 
 routine of homo service, or do not sufficiently study the time 
 and manner in which the soldiers may perform their duty with 
 the least prejudice or risk to their health, I am persuaded thoy 
 only require to have their attention called to the subject in 
 ci'der to make a change. As regards rations, these continue to 
 be abundant, and of excellent quality. The cleanliness of the 
 camp is well attended to ; oflal is nov/here allowed to lie about, 
 and delaulters in this respect are sure of punishment. The 
 generally healthy condition of the troops has doubtless been 
 favoured by the weather, which lately has been wholesome, if 
 not altogether pleasant. The tempcratm-e is moderate, and 
 rain not unfrequcnt. As I write, a fine fresh wind is blowing 
 over the heights, sweeping away many impurities in its course. 
 I rode this morning through a part of the French camp, re- 
 puted to be usually not very fragrant in its exhalations, and I 
 was agreeably surprised at finding it free from evil odours. We 
 had a heavy rain in the night, and this morning it descended in 
 torrents for a short time. The immediate eflect of these plash- 
 ing showers is not particularly agreeable, although I believe it 
 to be highly beneficial. They convert the clayey soil of the 
 camp and its vicinity into a heavy kind of mud, which clings 
 tenaciously to the feet of man and beast, and renders locomo- 
 tion slow and difficult. The clay hardens rapid]}^ and only by 
 repeated efforts can it be extracted from the horse's hoof. Con- 
 sidering the quality of the soil, it seems unaccountable that our 
 authorities do so little in the way of road-making. One would 
 imagine they anticipate either continual summer, or the de- 
 parture of the expedition before winter arrives. While the 
 Erench have made excellent roads, in om* camp one sees mere 
 tracks. As for the Balaklava railway, it will be useless 
 within a short time after the bad season sets in, unless repaired. 
 It is a very convenient summer construction, but the ground 
 on which it rests will be converted into mud by the winter's 
 wet. 
 
 The opinion is pretty general that no very long period will 
 elapse before another attack is made upon the MalakhofF. As 
 regards an expedition into the interior of the Crimea, that is 
 highly improbable. In fact, I believe nothing of the kind is 
 in contemplation, at any rate, for the present. The month of
 
 A STOBM. 31 
 
 September would be a flivoiirable season at which to commonee 
 such a movement. 
 
 3Iajor-General Dacres, commanding the artillery, goes to- 
 morrow, on a fortnight's leave of absence, to Therapia. 
 
 Colonel jSTorcott's (Rifles) servant and charger were awaiting,- 
 yesterday morning, their master's return from the trenches, in 
 what was considered a perfectly sheltered situation, when a rouuf] 
 shot bounding over an eminence, killed both horse and man. 
 
 Four Russian deserters came in yesterday. 
 
 The Duke of Newcastle has arrived at Balaklava, and has 
 been up to the front. 
 
 July 31. 
 
 Soon after five o'clock this morning a most violent storm of 
 wind and rain commenced, which continues as I vs'rite. It will 
 cause, I fear, much discomfort, if not actual damage, in the 
 camp, over which it rages with a combined fury and obstinacy, 
 which I do not remember to have seen surpassed. The ex- 
 tensive portion of the camp, of which I command a view from 
 my hut, is converted into a lake, the rain descending much 
 faster than it can sink into the earth. Over the surface of this 
 lake the rain is borne in clouds by the driving wind, and forms 
 a sort of watery curtain through which the soaked tents look 
 dreary and dismal enough. The shelter Avhich they offer, im- 
 perfect as it is, has been sought, and only here and there a 
 drenched figure is to be seen struggling through the blast. In 
 the pens the mules and horses hang their heads mournfully, 
 enduring, with melancholy philosophj% the inevitable and un- 
 welcome douche. In sundry nooks and corners to the leeward 
 of tents, and under the eaves of huts, the camp fowls have taken 
 refuge, with drooping plumes, and that look of profound dis- 
 comfort peculiar to poultry under difficulties. Down the 
 numerous slopes of the camp the water has forced channels foi 
 itself, which will not, however, I fear, prevent its finding its way 
 into many of the semi-subterranean huts, to the great disturbance 
 of the domestic economy of their occupants. Even the furious 
 war of the elements does not arrest the strife between man and 
 man, and from time to time, above the roar of the wind and 
 the plash of the rain, the boom of a gun reaches us. As I 
 write, however, the fury of the tempest abates, the clouds fly 
 seaward, the rain ceases, and already the camp resumes its 
 stir. 
 
 The firing during the last few days has, on our side, been
 
 32 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 far more lively than for some time past ; this increased activity 
 has, however, a defensive rather than an offensive character. 
 The Russians, perceiving that our works are daily brought closer 
 to theirs, are trying by their single gun practice to .annoy us. 
 Orders have accordingly been given to return the fire from our 
 batteries whenever it becomes too hot. This plan was tried 
 once before, and it had the effect of moderating the ardour of 
 the Russian gunners. The second trial will, I hope, be no less 
 successful in procuring for us a little respite, for, somehow or 
 other, the less we fire the better is the Russian gun practice, 
 and vice versa. 
 
 But no firing of the Russians, be it good or bad, slight or 
 heavy, can impede the progress of the works. The surface of 
 the ground in the neighbourhood of the Malakhoff and the 
 Redan presents every day a more checkered appearance. It is 
 one mass of trenches, traverses, rifle-pits, and batteries — a 
 perfect maze, so that it requires a strongly developed organ of 
 locality, or else many days of trench duties, to enable one to 
 find one's way. The railway is perhaps the best test of the 
 gigantic activity which prevails : numbers of mortars and large 
 quantities of ammunition are daily transported by it, and vanish 
 again silently, to be replaced by others. The trenches give one 
 a good idea of an unfathomable abj'ss, such an incredible mass 
 of mortars, guns, shells, and shot, do they swallow up. 
 
 When they will be satiated, and when the word " enough" 
 Avill be spoken, seem as uncertain as Crimean weather. I was 
 told a few days ago, by a French officer of artillery, that 
 Pelissier, on being asked when offensive siege operations would 
 be again resumed, said, " Well, I don't know : the Russians 
 are losing every day 300 or 400 men by sickness. If we wait 
 a week, they will have lost a brigade ; if we wait a month, they 
 will have lost a cor2)s d'armee." But if the Russians lose many 
 men by sickness, the}^ replace them somehow or other. Numbers 
 of stories are in circulation about the formidable forces which 
 have come, and are still coming down this way, and appre- 
 hensions of an attack on the Tchernaya line gain ground daily. 
 
 In the meantime, not even with the aid of the most powerful 
 telescopes, can the approach of this formidable force be dis- 
 covered, and the Russians content themselves with firing a shot 
 now and then from the batteries on the Mackenzie-ridge at the 
 harmless sheep and cattle sent by the French over the Tcher- 
 naya to graze, or on the horses going down for water.
 
 THE SARDINIAN CONTINGENT, 33 
 
 However improbable all tliese appreliensioiis about an Iiiipend-- 
 ing attack of the Russians may be, there is one advantage con- 
 nected with them — tliey impart a certain amomat of life and 
 activity to the armies occupying the Tchcrnaya line. Without 
 some such stimulant the men would be overpowered by ennui ; 
 moreover, these flying reports act as a kind of corrective against 
 sickness. In winter, the troops engaged in the trenches sutfered 
 much more from sickness than those in the rear on the heights 
 bej'ond Balaklava ; now the reverse is the case, and the troops 
 in the trenches are in better health than those at the Tchernaya. 
 Of course, inactivity is just as fatal to a body of troops as over- 
 work. The Turks alone form an exception. I do not think 
 that they covdd be injured by any amount oi faineantisme. The 
 loss in the Sardinian army may be in some measure attributed 
 to the want of excitement, which has engendered a morbid, 
 hj^DOchondrlac feeling, and this produces a great deal of illness. 
 
 Yet, with all its losses, the Sardinian contingent is still a fine 
 body of men. I went the day before j'esterday to see their 
 church parade, which is held every Sunday, and at which all 
 the troops not on duty are present. The ground chosen for this 
 ceremony is a slope leading from Kamara towards the plain of 
 Balaklava. The troops occupy three sides of a square, and on 
 the fourth, which is the highest, a tent is erected in which mass 
 is celebrated. They have an excellent band, and it plays during 
 the service. The whole ceremony reminds one very much of 
 the church parades of the Austrian army. After the service was 
 over, the troops defiled before General della Marmora : first, the 
 infantry, and then the artillery. The men, although perhaps not 
 quite so tall as those in the old English regiments, are consider- 
 ably above the average of French troops. After the infantry came 
 the artillery in their short blue tunics, with yellow facings. 
 When the defi.ling was over, the cavalry went through some 
 short evolutions. Although collected from several regiments, 
 each of which furnished a squadron, as every regiment of 
 infantry furnished a battalion, they executed their manoeuvres 
 with beautiful precision. The horses, although inferior in size 
 and breeding to the English cavalry horses, are compact and 
 useful-looking animals. They are mostly of the Italian breed, 
 much improved by Arab blood. 
 
 Piedmont, placed as it is between two great military Powers 
 — France and Austria — has evidently watched with attention the 
 progress and improvements which have been introduced into the 
 
 vox. II. D
 
 34 LINE OF TUE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 military systems of these two neighbouring empires, and adapted 
 their experiments in these matters to her own advantage. In the 
 autumn of every year a concentration of troops takes place in 
 Lombardy, and before the wai- of 1848 numbers of Piedmontese 
 officers used to assemble there. The same was, and I think is 
 still the case whenever a camp is collected in the south of France. 
 Thus they had the opportunity of studying two, in many respects, 
 very dillbrent systems. The result is a blending of the two in 
 arms, accoutrements, administration, and movements. For in- 
 stance, the infantry is dressed in French fashion, with leather 
 gaiters under tlie trousers, the long coat reaching to the knees; 
 the only tjxception being the shako, which more resembles the 
 Austrian shako than the French kepi. The cavalry and the 
 artillery, on the contrary, wear the short tunic of the Austrian 
 cavalry and artillery. For the movements of infantrj' as well 
 as of cavalry the French manual has been exclusivol_y adopted, 
 and at some distance one could scarcely distinguish French 
 cavalry manoeuvring fi-om Piedmontese, were it not for the dif- 
 ference in the seat of the riders. The maneije is decidedly 
 Austrian. The spirit of the Piedmontese army — I mean the 
 relations existing between soldiers and officers, and of the inter- 
 course of tlie latter with one another — is, however, more analogous 
 to that of the English than to that of either the French or 
 Austrian armies. It is neither the easy familiai'ity which exists 
 between the French officer and soldier, nor that " beggar on 
 torseback" like tyranny of the officer and the miwilling slavish- 
 ness of the soldier which characterize the Austrian army. The 
 officers in the Piedmontese, like those in tlie English army, 
 belong almost exclusively to the higher classes, and only rarely 
 does an officer rise from the ranks ; so that the distance be- 
 tween officer and soldier is not one of mere discipline, but a 
 social one ; and, however the spirit of Republicanism and the 
 longing for equality may be developed in other states of Italy, 
 Piedmont does not seem to be impregnated with it, and the 
 system adopted of choosing for officers men from the higher 
 classes answers very well. On the other hand, the otHcers them- 
 selves associate much in the same manner as in the English 
 army. Wlien official business is over and social intercourse 
 ■begins, the diffi?rence between the higher and lower officer 
 entirely ceases, and they associate as gentlemen arc wont to do. 
 The Turks are still mooning about, and waiting Omar Pa.sha's 
 arriva], which is postponed from day to day. One battalion has
 
 EFFECTS OF THE EAIN. 35 
 
 Ijeen ordered down into the valley of Baidar to cut grass. In 
 order to prevent confusion a line of demarcation has been drawn, 
 ■which separates the French from the Turkish forai^ers. Baidar 
 seems to furnish inexhaustible supplies of hay. Notwithstanding 
 the systematic collection of the French, and the continual drain 
 on its resources by private forag-ing expeditions from all armies, 
 a considerable quantity remains on the hill sides, which, owing 
 to their neighbom-hood of the Russians, are less frequented than 
 the more open parts of the valley. It is likewise an inexhaustible 
 store of wood. The Turks have cut a good deal for zeraliks 
 (huts), but in their continual moving about they seem to be un- 
 certain where to take it, so there it remains for the present. 
 
 c. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 More wet — Discoumging aspect of the camp — Habitations of the army — 
 Descriptiou of a hut — Necessity of making better preparations for tlie 
 winter — An Egyptian plague of flies — Daring of tlie Crimean fly — 
 State of many of tlie tran?ports — TheCunard steamer, the " Cambria " — 
 Kecal of General Canrobert — Reappearance of the cholera — Sanitary 
 condition of the French army — Preparations for an attack upon the 
 Malakliofl" — A sortie — Discouraging nature of the trench work — A Rus- 
 sian attack repulsed by the Englisli advanced picket — A medical board 
 on Sir R. England — Return of Captain Montague from captivity at 
 Simpheropol. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, August 1. 
 
 Eain, rain, and nothing but rain, in this most damp and dreary 
 of camps. I closed my letter of yesterday in a storm, and this 
 one I commence in a deluge. The soil here has the solitary 
 good quality of drying rapidly, at least in the more elevated parts 
 of the camp, and before sunset yesterday there were scarcely any 
 traces left of the morning's tempest. A few tents that had been 
 blown or washed down had been re-erected, leaks and other 
 defects revealed by the rain had been remedied, the temperature 
 was agreeable, the ground tolerably dry, the usual occupations 
 and amusements of the camp had been resumed, and a numerous 
 party of officers played at cricket on the heights. The pleasant 
 interval was brief. Towards ten o'clock another storm arose ; 
 the lightning flashed blue and blinding in every quarter of the 
 heavens, again the rain fell in torrents, and the rolling of the 
 thunder, mingled with the roar of the artillery, left one at times 
 almost in doubt whether the uproar proceeded from the heavens 
 or the batteries. On account, probably, of the bad weather, 
 
 JD 2
 
 36 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 there was loss firing tliaii usual. Now and then three or four 
 cannon shots followed one another in rapid succession, the ritles 
 engaged in a brief and angry conversation, and shells by twos 
 and threes took their leisurely and lofty llight skywards — the 
 fuse, like a little ball of llame, alternately appearing and vanish- 
 ing, until with sudden dip, they plunged into trench or battery. 
 Then came the deep voice of the thunder, rebuking the discord 
 and mocking the puny rivalry of man. The rain continued to 
 fall heavily during the night and morning, and to-day the camp 
 is a field of mud, in parts almost a morass. It is not easy to 
 imagine anything more discouraging in its aspect than the camp 
 before ^r^ebastopol in rainy weather. The look is worse than the 
 reality, for the tents generally resist the wet, and the men are 
 abundantly provided with clothes, covering, and rations. Viewed 
 from a short distance, the great undulating tract over which the 
 allied army is scattered, resembles an immense ploughed field. 
 Of grass there is very little — only a sprinkling here and thei-e. 
 The numerous flowers of vivid colours, which in spring and 
 early summer cheered and enlivened the view, have long since 
 been burnt up by the sun or trodden down by the feet of men 
 and horses. The landscape wears one general brown tint, 
 bounded by a line of dull gray mountains, often capped by 
 murky and watery clouds. The habitations of the army are of 
 three classes — wooden huts, huts or hovels (dating from last 
 winter, and partly subterranean), and tents. Happy, at least 
 at this season, is the man who possesses a good wooden hut 
 with a plank flooring. Most of the large huts, however, are 
 used as store-houses, or for other general purposes. The 
 walls of the hovels (for such is the term that most correctly 
 designates them) are usually three or four feet below groimd^ 
 and about as much above it, and ai-e surmounted by gabled 
 roofs, without which, in some of them, a tall man could hardly 
 stand upright. These singular dwellings ai-e, as may be sup- 
 posed, damp and gloomy. They are entered by three or four 
 steps cut in the earth, and usually covered with stones or planks. 
 Here is one of which the entrance is so low that a man of 
 average height must bend double to get in. It is considered 
 rather a good hut, and its owners speak with gratitude, almost 
 with enthusiasm, of the excellent shelter itallbrded them in the 
 trying times of last winter. It is eight or nine feet broad, and 
 about twelve in length. At one end a sort of embrasure admits 
 ligl ' through the thick wall, composed of mud and shapeless
 
 THE CRIMEAN HUT. 37 
 
 masses of stone. Below tins embrasure is the bed, barely raised 
 fifom the ground; on one side is a small niche in the wall, used as a 
 fireplace. The walls are tapestried with sail-cloth, horse blankets, 
 and manias that have come all the way from Catalonia and 
 Valencia with the Spanish mules and muleteers, and are adorned 
 with pictures cut from illustrated periodicals, and with nume- 
 rous pipes, hien culottees — well blackened, that is to say, by the 
 tobacco oil that has soaked through the poi'ous clay. There is 
 actually a chimney-piece — a thick board wrenched from some 
 packing case, the rusty nails still sticking in its edges — which 
 supports a biscuit-box, tobacco, bottles in various stages of con- 
 sumption, and other small comforts. Here is a rough tub, 
 which was used for the ablutions of the inmates, until scarcity 
 of water caused the prohibition of such luxuries. Suspended 
 from the homely tapestry are a sword, a pouch-belt, waterproof 
 and leathern leggings. A pair of tall boots are in one corner, 
 and hard by the door — the lightest place — is a crazy table, with 
 writing materials and sundries. A shelf has been contrived, 
 and holds a few well-thumbed volumes. The heavy rain has 
 flowed into the liut through the doorway up to the edge of the 
 bed ; the consequence is that the floor resembles a muddy road, 
 in which you slip about and almost stick fast. A trifle, this, to 
 Crimean campaigners. The roof does not leak, which is more 
 than can be said of the roofs of many huts. The one I have 
 described may be taken as a fair specimen of the class of edifice. 
 Transported to England, and exhibited as the dwelling of an 
 Esquimaux or American Indian, it would doubtless excite sur- 
 prise and compassion, and people would wonder that even 
 savages could exist in such dens — here cheerfully tenanted by 
 very civilized persons. Huts and hovels are few in number 
 compared with the tents, which, when carefully pitched, witli 
 a good gutter round them, make endurable habitations for this 
 time of year, although liable to be overthrown by very high 
 winds. But against the cold, when the canvas crackles with 
 the frost, and the icy breath of winter enters at every chink, 
 they afford poor protection indeed. If we are to pass another 
 winter before Sebastopol — I mean to say, if the higher powers 
 consider it probable, or even possible, that we shall do so — it is 
 to be hoped that measures will be taken for the preservation of 
 so costly a commodity as the British soldier. Seasoned veterans, 
 who have survived the bitter sufferings of the winter of 1854-5, 
 may be able to withstand the less severe hardships of that of
 
 38 LINE OP THE TCIIERNAYA. 
 
 1855-6 ; but what do our rulers imagine will become of youth- 
 ful recruits, in the year's worst season, on these inclement 
 heights, unless provision be made for their comfort superior to 
 any at present existing ? Rations and raiment will, doubtless, 
 not be deficient, but, as far as appearances yet go, proper shelter 
 will. 
 
 One of the gi'catost curses of the camp at the present moment 
 is the multitude of ilies. It is I'eally an Egyptian plague. la 
 every tent and hut they swarm in myriads. From mosquitoes 
 and fleas we are tolerably free ; there are no bugs — at least, I 
 have neither seen nor heard of any. Probabl}'^ bedsteads are 
 not sufficiently numerous here to encourage the presence of those 
 flat and foetid insects. We are duly grateful for the absence 
 of such irritating vermin ; and wo try to be resigned, but we 
 certainly cannot be thankful, under the fly infliction. The 
 Crimean fly is the most dai'ing and aggressive animal of its size 
 that it has ever been my lot to encounter. It befouls every- 
 thing in your quarters, bites you, and will not be rebuffed. Its 
 courage and activity constitute it the Zouave of the fly family. 
 It dashes into your cup as you raise it to your lips, and 
 defiles the morsel at the end of your fork. War with it is not 
 to be thought of Kill a thousand, and you shall have a 
 million in their stead. "Whatever food is exposed upon the table 
 — sugar, meat, bread — becomes in an instant black with flies. 
 The camp resounds with maledictions on the genus. A cargo 
 of " ketch-'em-alive" papers, arriving just now at Balaklava, 
 would find an instant sale at exorbitant prices. We should 
 paper our huts and tents with them, and still despair of exter- 
 minating our tormentors. 
 
 Whilst on this unsavoury subject, I will mention complaints 
 that have latelj' reached me, and which, in at least one instance, 
 I know tx> be well founded. They refer to the condition of 
 some of the transports taken up by Government for the con- 
 veyance of troops, horses, and stores to the Crimea. Consider- 
 ing the very high prices paid for such ships, it is not too much 
 to expect that they should be kept clean, free from vermin, 
 and as free as possible from evil smells. I may instance, as a 
 case of which I have a positive knowledge, the "Cambria," a fine 
 steamer of the Cunard line. She arrived at Balaklava from 
 Portsmouth on Sunday last, after a passage which, notwith- 
 standing that she lost a little time by running aground in the 
 Bosphorus in broad daylight, was tolerably rapid. She brought.
 
 RECAL OF GENERAL CANROBERT. 39 
 
 in addition to her cargo, a few horses, and some small detach- 
 ments of various regiments, under command of Captain Foster, 
 of the 6th Dragoon Guards, and also about twenty officers, 
 chiefl}'^ very young subalterns. Making every allowance for the 
 presence of horses on board (fifty-two came here, and a few- 
 had been left at Scutari), but remembering also that she had 
 uninterrupted fine weather during her passage, I do not hesitate 
 to say that the state of this ship, when she arrived here, was 
 disgraceful. The abominable stenches on board were such as I 
 never encountered in any craft of her size, employment, and 
 pretensions : in the cramped space allotted to the officers, bugs 
 swarmed to such a degree that many of the young men, after 
 vain attempts to cope with the odious enemy, were driven from 
 their berths, and preferred a plank and a blanket upon deck to 
 the stifling heat and detestable atmosphere of the cabin and the 
 constant combat with the vermin. Exposure to the heavy dews 
 of the ]\Iediterranean, and want of proper rest — for sleep refreshes 
 little that is snatched in one's clothes on a ship's deck — during 
 a period of two or three weeks, is not a good means of preparing 
 youths, as yet uninured to hardships, for those they inevitably 
 must encounter in a Crimean campaign. Nor is it to be borne 
 that shipowners, who are making enormous fortunes by the 
 war, should thus ill pei'form their part of the contract. Some 
 of the officers on board the "Cambria" were suffering, when they 
 arrived here, from diarrhoea, probably induced by the circum- 
 stances above detailed. By the same number of passengers of 
 mature age and greater experience, the general state of the 
 vessel's accommodation and service would doubtless have been 
 made matter of serious complaint and protest ; but those by 
 the Cambria were, with few exceptions, mere lads, too full of 
 anticipations to dwell upon the disagreeables of the voyage 
 when once the haven was in sigiit. 
 
 Avnust ■>. 
 
 The news of the day is the recal of General Canrobert. No 
 cause is assigned, but it is felt that his position was awkward, 
 as subordinate to Generals Pelissier and Bosquet, whom he 
 lately commanded. 
 
 The recent rains have brought a slight return of cholera. 
 The day before yesterday the 72nd buried ten men, dead of that 
 complaint ; but the 72nd is a recent arrival out here, and may 
 therefore be expected to suffer more than others. As a general 
 rule, wet appears to bring cholera, and heat dysentery. At
 
 40 LINE OP THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 present there is little fever. The sanitary state of the French 
 army is, as far as I can ascertain, pretty satisfactory ; there is 
 some cholera, but not to a great extent, and it arises chiefly 
 from severe duty in the wet trenches. An officer came off that 
 duty at four o'clock yesterday morning, and at eight he was a 
 corpse. To-day, as I was riding along the Woronzoff road, I 
 overtook a French battalion returning from duty in the trenches 
 • — their clothes, from heel to collar, and their muskets, smeared 
 and begrimed with mud. They mai-ched briskly enough, but 
 one poor fellow, who hung in the rear, at last fell by the road- 
 side, deadly sick — the sweat literally raining from his fiice. The 
 trenches are converted into ponds and sloughs by the late bad 
 weather. To-day is sunny and windy, and things are drying 
 up. One ravine, down which the French habitually pass, was 
 yesterday a torrent five feet deep, by which some men were 
 nearly carried awa}^ The Eussian steamers continue to annoy 
 our allies in the night time with grape. The French are con- 
 structing batteries to command the Russian fleet, and so to 
 facilitate an attack on the Malakhoff". As soon as all are com- 
 plete, it appears the opinion of the French that the JMalakhoff 
 •will again be assailed. These say that their approaches are 
 now brought within about a hundred metres (110 or 115 yards) 
 of the enemy's position, and that the engineers can go no fur- 
 ther. The distance appears to be, and probably is, rather greater 
 than that. 
 
 On the 31st of July the 30th Regiment and 3rd Buffs were 
 reviewed by General ]\Iark]iam. 
 
 The Duke of Newcastle is in camp, quartered in General 
 Bentinck's tents. 
 
 Aiigmt 4. 
 
 There has been a good deal of firing these last two nights. 
 The night before last the Russians made a sortie, but were 
 driven back. Thej^ carried away five yards of the chevaitx de 
 frise on the Woronzofl' road. Their reserves were very strong. It 
 is thought they desire to distract our attention from the point 
 they really mean to assail, which some suppose to be the Ceme- 
 tery. Reports of an approaching attack on the Malalchoff, for 
 which various dates are conjectured, continue to circulate. It 
 is time that something were done, if anything is to be. From 
 the 18th of June to the 4th of August is a long time (in the 
 best season of the 3'ear) to spend in inaction before a battered 
 wall, battered but not yet breached. Tt is but discouraging work
 
 A WAEM SKIRMISH, 41 
 
 for the troops to be marcbecl down nig-ht after niglit to the 
 trenches, there to be pelted with sliot and shell, with a feeling 
 that nothing is gained by the exposure. We hold our own, 
 but we do not progress. Let us hope, however, that when 
 the new French batteries are completed, we shall witness a 
 marked change in this state of things. 
 
 It was between ten and eleven o'clock, p.m. when the Rus- 
 sians sallied out of the town by the Woronzoff road, and advanced 
 to the heavy iron frieze placed across the Woronzotf road, be- 
 tween the left and right attacks. The advanced picket at the 
 cltevaux de frise was commanded by Lieutenant R. E. Carr, of 
 the 39th Regiment, who behaved with coolness and gallantry. 
 He fell back slowly, keeping up a fire on the Russians, to the 
 advanced trench guard, under Captain Lackie, 39th Regiment. 
 The trench guard on the right of the fourth parallel, under Cap- 
 tain Boyle, 89th, and Captain Turner, 1st Royals, checked 
 the enemy, and they retired after ten minutes' firing, leaving 
 a few men killed behind them, and carrying off a part of the 
 barrier. They had advanced with great cheering and bugling, 
 and were estimated at 2000 strong, with heavy columns iu 
 support. 
 
 On the 30th of July a medical board was ordered on Lieu- 
 tenant-General Sir R. England, G.C.B., commanding Third 
 Division, and he was recommended to return to England. He 
 was the last of the generals who left England in command of a 
 division. Major-General Eyre succeeds him in the Third Divi- 
 sion. Captain Montague, R.E., returned from Simphei'opol, 
 where he was detained for some time as prisoner of war, and 
 was very kindly treated. E. H. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Loss in the trenches — A mysterious conflagration — Funeral solemnities in 
 Sebastopol — Review of the Light Division by General Codrington — 
 Review of the Chasseurs d'Afrique on tlie spot at wliich tlie celebrated 
 Balalvlava cavalry cliarge toolc place — Deatlis of Colonel Cobbe, Lieu- 
 tenant Evans, and Captain Layard — A new road from Balaklava to the 
 camp in contemplation. 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol, August 6. 
 
 Little has occurred here since my last letter to vary the often- 
 described routine. A great deal of ammunition continues to go 
 up to the front, and there are many speculations as to the pro- 
 bability of an early attack. The French are working away on
 
 42 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 the right, with the view of getting at the Eussian ships, and 
 the usual nightly cannonade continues with more or less vigour. 
 Last night there was a good deal of firing, more than has been 
 heard for some time. The Russian Minies were at work, 
 popping at sentries and everything that showed itself. I am 
 informed this morning, that the Light Division, which was on 
 duty, had iift^' men hors de comhat, nearly double the usual 
 number. Statements of this kind, however, are so apt to be 
 exaggerated, that one can scarcely credit anything but the 
 returns. One thing is certain, that the English loss in the 
 trenches, at the ])resent rate, may be estimated at about 1000 
 men a month. This includes every man hors de comhat, for 
 however short a time. As regards disease, I do not learn that 
 there has been any particular variation since I last wrote. The 
 weather has been fine and bright, usually very warm of a morn- 
 ing, cooler of an afternoon, with pleasant breezes sweeping over 
 the heights. The heat here does not, to me, feel so relaxing as 
 on the shores of the Bosphovus — infinitely less so than in that 
 steam bath, Constantinople. 
 
 There is much conjecture to-day as to the meaning of a fire 
 which commenced yesterday evening in rear of the Redan, and 
 burned all night, sinking and dj'ing away towards morning. 
 As yet nobody has suggested a plausible explanation. Yester- 
 day afternoon there was a funeral in Sebastopol, evidently of 
 some personage of importance. The procession was numerous, 
 and there was a firing party, which is unusual. We continue 
 to hear tales, probably exaggerated, of the great moi'tality pre- 
 vailing in the Ibrtress. The heat of the weather and the number 
 of dead bodies would account, however, for a good deal of 
 disease. 
 
 On Saturday afternoon. General Codrington reviewed the 
 Light Division, which went through some manoeuvres in its 
 ■usual steady and satisfactory style. The appearance of the 
 troops was excellent. Yesterday about 2000 or 2500 Chasseurs 
 d'Afrique were reviewed. The place selected was the ground 
 over which our Light Dragoons executed the memorable but 
 fatal charge of Calaklava, and mournful was the contrast which 
 suggested itself to the minds of those who in October last 
 beheld the I'eturn of the handful of heroic but battered 
 warriors, and who yesterday saw the fresh and well-equipped 
 squadrons of France prancing over the plain. Dearly indeed, 
 by the loss of so many gallant fellows, was purchased that " one
 
 A KEW ROAD TO BALAKLAVA. 4S 
 
 laurel more," now added to the numerous wreaths that twine 
 round the standards of Britain's brave horsemen. The African 
 Chasseurs looked gay and smart yesterday in their neat light 
 blue vests and the inevitable red trousers. They are fine 
 serviceable-like cavalry, their evolutions were well performed, 
 they made some capital charges, and their whole appearance was 
 highly praised by the English military spectators. 
 
 It has been proposed to make the First Division into two 
 divisions, one to consist of the Guards, to which were to be 
 added the 31st Regiment, 3rd Buffs, and 13th Light Infantiy, 
 the other of the five Highland regiments now here, and of the 
 92nd, expected out. The project, however, has been abandoned, 
 at least for the present. 
 
 I regret to announce the decease of Colonel Cobbe, of the 
 4th Eegiment of Foot. He died this afternoon from the effect 
 of wounds received in the afl'air of the ISth of June. He com- 
 manded the 4th from the commencement of the campaign, and 
 was wounded at the Alma. Lieutenant Evans, of the 55th, is 
 also dead. He was shot through the windpipe yesterday in 
 the trenches, and every effort to save his life proved fruitless. 
 Capt. Layard, 3Sth Regiment, D.A. Quarter-Master-General, 
 died, on the 7th, in Balaklava harbour, on board the " Faith" 
 steamer, where he had been removed for the benefit of his 
 health. He sank under diarrhoea, and the loss of such an active 
 and intelligent officer will be felt in his divi.sion. 
 
 It is in contemplation to make a good road from Balaklava 
 to the camp. This is indeed a most necessary work if we are 
 to pass the winter here, and it is to be hoped it will be promptly 
 proceeded with, and not postponed until too late to complete it 
 before the bad season sets in. It is also to be hoped that we 
 shall not see — as we did last winter — guns inextricably stuck in 
 the mud, and remaining there for weeks ; and commissaries, 
 when bringing up stores from Balaklava to the camp, compelled 
 to unharness the mules and horses from half a dozen carts, 
 attach them to one, in order to get it up the hill, and then lead 
 the animals down to recommence the same operation with 
 each of the vehicles. In connexion with a good road from 
 Balaklava there should be branches through the camp, connect- 
 ing the divisions, and leading to the front. 
 
 The health of the 10th Hussars still continues unsatisfiictory. 
 A day or two ago that regiment had 161 sick, out of a strength 
 of 676. Major-General Sir W. Eyre was put in orders on the
 
 44 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 3rd August, to command the Third Division. On the 5th, 
 Brigadier Lockj'cr was in orders for Ceylon, and Colonel 
 Windham, C.B., was nominated to succeed him in the command 
 of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division. F. H. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Signs of an approaching attack — The hospitals are cleared out — Various 
 opinions respectinp; the result of an assault — The ilulakholT — I'ast 
 errors and blunders — Hopes of better things for tlic future — A terrible 
 bombardment contemplated by some — Leave of absence sought and 
 obtained by many officers — Regiments without their proper number 
 of officers — Tedious nature of the siege — Leave of absence too readily 
 granted in the English, and loo rigorously refused in the French army 
 — Jlore clergymen required — Effective force of the British army in the 
 Crimea — Arrival of French and English reinforcements — Russian 
 practice — Promotion of Colonel AVindham — A birth in the trenches — 
 Casualties — Cholera — A Russian attack expected — Keinforcemeuts sup- 
 posed to have reached Sebastopol — The Army Working Corps — Deaths 
 of Deputy-Assistant Commissary General Coppingcr, and Major Hugh 
 Drummond. 
 
 Heights of Balaklava, August 10. 
 The report of an approaching attack upon the Malakhoff gains 
 ground, and is credited in the camp. False reports are so 
 numerous here that one would pay little attention to the current 
 rumours, did not various indications, more than general expec- 
 tation, give it an appearance of probability. At an early hour 
 on Tuesday morning, General Simpson went round the lines, 
 examining the works. Yesterday, General Jones did the same. 
 A council of war was held on AVednesday evening, at the British 
 head-quarters. A more positive symptom than these of 
 approaching action is the fact that some of the principal medical 
 officers of Divisions have received orders to clear the hospitals, 
 sending to Balaklava such patients as can safely be moved, and 
 to make the customary preparations for the reception of wounded 
 men. This may not mean that an assault is immediately to be 
 made, as some short time is necessary to make arrangements 
 and procure the stores required. An idea of the quantity of 
 these may be formed from the fact that, on receiving this order, 
 the chief medical officer of one ])ivision, consisting of rather 
 more than GOOO eftective men, at once sent in a requisition for 
 about six tons' weight of various articles. Such a mass of drugs, 
 lint, plaster, bedding, wine, and other hospital necessaries and
 
 r.UMOURS OF AN ASSAULT. 45 
 
 comforts, is painfully suggestive of what may probably occur, 
 and of how manj-- stout and brave fellows are expected to go 
 down in the next serious operation against our tenacious foe. 
 But at the point to which things have now come, success is not 
 to be hoped for without heavy loss, and if the former be com- 
 plete the latter may. be endured, if not cheerfully, at least with- 
 out repining. It is said that after a bombardment, very large 
 forces will be sent in to attack. Some talk of a combination of 
 French and English troops against the Malakhoff, and even 
 designate our First Division (Guards and Highlanders) as the 
 British force that is to co-operate with our allies. If the attack 
 really is to be made, Heaven grant that this time no blunders 
 may be committed, and that the blood of this gallant army may 
 not again be fruitlessly poured out by mistakes and mismanage- 
 ment. If we fail this time we may make up our minds, as 
 many have already done, to remain where we are for the winter. 
 It is the opinion of some here that Sebastopol will never be ours 
 until we regularly invest the whole place. There are various 
 opinions, in both the French camp and the English, as to the 
 impregnability of the Malakhoff. Some believe that if we 
 succeed in storming the outer works, we shall find within them 
 a second line of invincible strength. Others think the strength 
 of the inner works exaggerated. Of course, in all this there is 
 much more of conjecture than of well-founded opinion. The 
 Generals in Chief keep theii* information and intentions to 
 themselves. If we get the Malakhoff, little doubt is entertained 
 that the south side will speedily be ours ; whether we shall be 
 able to remain in it under the fire from the forts on the north is 
 another question. The Eussians driven out, however, and the 
 fleet destroyed, we shall be at liberty to busj^ ourselves with the 
 northern forts, or to move inland, as may be decided upon. As 
 for the town, which we have treated with so much iorbeai'ance, 
 it is not to be supposed that it will be left to us in its present 
 neat and serviceable condition. If Russia be faithful to her 
 military traditions, we shall obtain but a heap of ruins and ashes. 
 No snug quarters will there be in Sebastopol for the allied armies, 
 which have been so long alternately crippled with cold, plunged 
 to the knees in mud, or seethed in sickly Crimean vapours. A 
 time there was, now some ten months ago, when Sebastopol 
 might have been ours on easier terms and in better condition — 
 a time when Russian prisoners expressed their surprise at not 
 being sent into depot there, since they made sure the place had
 
 46 LINE OP THE TCHERNATA. 
 
 fallen Into ouv hands after tlie battle of the Alma. It is boot- 
 less to recur to past blunders and omissions, or we nii<^-lit also 
 talli of the time when the Malakholl" was but a round tower, 
 instead of the strong fortification now the chief obstacle to the 
 capture of the place to which it is the lie3\ However, if 
 grievous eiTors have been connuittcd, let i;s hope that they will 
 in future be avoided, and that tlic next attack will be very 
 differently conducted, and have a widely dilierent result, from 
 the last. After nearly two months' monotonous inaction, during 
 which many thousand men of the allied army have been put 
 hors de combat by trench duty and disease, I can hardly think 
 that there is a man in the camp — even of the croakers, who, I 
 regret to say, are pretty numerous — who will not joyfully hail 
 the resumption of more active hostilities. 
 
 I must observe that there are persons, whose opinion is not 
 without weight, who do not believe that we shall attack soon, 
 and a similar doubt appears to exist among those French offi- 
 cers whose opinions I have heard expressed. These seem to 
 think that a tremendous bombardment is contemplated, such as 
 shall literally pulverize the defences opposed to us, and com- 
 pletely crush the enemy ; and they add that some time must 
 elapse before the necessary preparations are completed. 
 
 Leave of absence continues to be granted to a very large ex- 
 tent. Taking five of the latest general orders, those of the 3rd, 
 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th instant, we find the nauu's of no less than 
 seventy officers who have received permission to absent them- 
 selves. Of these, twenty-nine proceed to England — twenty-six 
 of them in virtue of medical certificates, and three on "urgent 
 private affairs," or in consideration of peculiar circumstances : 
 twenty-seven go to Scutari and Therapia for periods varying 
 from two to five weeks ; twelve on board ship, and two to the 
 Monastery of St. George, where there are ten rooms fitted up 
 for ailing or convalescent officers. I doubt not that all these 
 leaves of absence may be necessaiy, and fully justified by the 
 circumstances of the respective cases ; but such numerous de- 
 partures are not the less extremely inconvenient to the army, 
 and leave many regiments very short-handed of officers. I 
 yesterday heru-d a colonel declare that he had but one captain 
 and three subalterns on duty in his battalion, and that he, con- 
 sequently, had to send one hundred men into the trenches under 
 charge of a youth of eighteen. If this state of things cannot 
 \>Q helped, it, at least, is very iiiifortimate. Enough officers do
 
 WANT OF CLERGYMEN. 49" 
 
 not come out to replace those who go home. This protracted 
 siege — if siege it may be called, which in reality is a tedious 
 struggle between two rows of detached forts — is certainly not 
 popular with the ofScers of the army, few of whom care to 
 remain if they have a respectable pretext for returning home, 
 while fewer still desire to return hither when once they have 
 got away. I am persuaded that if there were more movement 
 in the campaign — if, instead of monotonous trench duty, we 
 were engaged in ordinary warfare, manceuvring, mai'ching, light- 
 ing, there would be both less sickness and fewer seeking leave. 
 I do not attempt to decide the question whether leave is some- 
 times too easily granted, and more to interest than to necessity. 
 The French arc thought to fall into the other extreme, and 
 instances have been cited to me where the lives of valuable offi- 
 cers would have been saved had they been allowed to exchange 
 severe duty (one night out of three in the trenches, independ- 
 ently of ordinary guards and parades, cannot be considered light 
 labour) for a period of relaxation in a more salutary climate. 
 
 The senior chaplain of the army, the Rev. Mr. Wright, has 
 made a representation to the Quarter-Master-General on the 
 subject of the insufficient number of clergymen attached to the 
 forces. There are nineteen altogether, but of these only seven 
 are effective. The others are ill (four have received sick leave 
 within the last week), and their illness is attributed in a great 
 measure to the severity of their duty . Some of these gentle- 
 men have as many as five hundred sick to attend to — independ- 
 ently of such attention as they may be required or desirous to 
 give to the healthy. I understand that Mr. Wright has re- 
 presented forty chaplains to be the number required for the 
 ai'my now out here. I know not whether these be more or no 
 more than are needed ; but it is evident, that if it be deemed 
 desirable that the sick and wounded should receive spiritual 
 consolation, it is but a mockery to expect that to be afforded to 
 them by only seven clergjmien. You are, doubtless, aware, 
 that of the chaplains out here three only are regularly com- 
 missioned and paid by Government. Two religious societies 
 received permission to send a certain number (I think ten) each; 
 half the expense of their maintenance here to be borne by 
 Government and half by the societies that submitted their names 
 for the approval of the authorities. 
 
 Of the cases that go into hospital a very small proportion 
 tei'minate fatally. This appears ii-ora the general returns up to
 
 48 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 the 15tli of >Tuly. Accordinj^ to the best evidence I crm obtain, 
 the present elfeetive strength of the British army in the Crimea 
 is upwards of 28,000 men, exchisive of troops that have arrived 
 within the last threedays. The"Etna" and "Arabia" steam-trans- 
 ports have reached Balaklava from Eng-land (the hitter after the 
 extraordinarily rapid passage of fourteen days) with large de- 
 tachments for different regiments out here. Transports have 
 reached Kamiesch with reinforcements for various French regi- 
 ments. This furnished the foundation for a report (to show 
 you how ridiculously things are magnified here) current in 
 camp this morning, that 30,000 French troops had arrived, 
 and that extensive operations were immediately to be com- 
 menced. 
 
 Yesterday the Russians amused themselves by throwing a 
 few round shot into the camp of the Fourth Division. Two of 
 these buried themselves in the ground, close to a hospital hut 
 of the 17th Regiment, shaking the edifice and astonishing the 
 wounded, but doing no other damage ; another killed a man of 
 the field-train as he lay in his tent. It is said the missiles 
 were intended for General Bentinck's tents, which are near the 
 Fourth Division flagstaff on Cathcart's-hill. The Duke of 
 Newcastle is still staying there. A new kitchen, building for 
 the General, is thought to have attracted the attention of the 
 Muscovite gunners. The fire in rear of the Redan, which I 
 mentioned in my last letter, is said by the French to have been 
 occasioned by one of their rockets. 
 
 Colonel Windham, who, since the first landing of the allies 
 in the Crimea, has been the very efficient Assistant-Quarter- 
 Master- General of the Fourth Division, has been promoted to 
 the command of the 2nd Brigade of the Second Division. 
 
 We are by this time pretty well accustomed to hear of deaths 
 in the trenches ; but, until the other day, we had no example 
 of a birth having taken place in that uncomfortable .ind dan- 
 gerous locality — certainly not exactly that which a lady might 
 be expected to prefer as the scene of her accouchement. The 
 intrepidity and military ardour which so distinguish our gallant 
 allies, are shared, it appears, by the ladies of their nation. 
 Three nights ago a buxom cantinih'e accompanied her battalion 
 to the trenches, there to supply them with the restorative petit 
 verve, and to brave, witli masculine courage, the storm of shot 
 and shell. There was possibly some miscalculation in the 
 matter ; but the fact is that, towards the small hours of the
 
 AN EXPECTED ATTACK. 49 
 
 morning, she was taken with the pains of maternity, and gave 
 birth to twins. JMother and children are doing well. 
 
 The casualties increase daily in gravity and number. Major 
 Macgowan, 93rd Regiment, was carried off out of the advanced 
 works by a party of Russians, on the night of the 7th, and it is 
 feared they have killed him. General Simpson sent in a letter 
 to inquire after him ; but the Russians could give no information, 
 except that he was not in their possession. 
 
 The cholera still claims a few victims every week. Our casual- 
 ties in the trenches, from the 6th to the 9th were, eight rank 
 and file killed, one officer, five sergeants ; 103 rank and file 
 wounded, one officer, one rank and file missing. 
 
 F. H 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol, Awinst 13. 
 
 There at last is some prospect of action, but not against the 
 MalakhofF, nor is it the allies who are expected to assume the 
 offensive. Late last evening orders were given for the troops 
 to be under arms by three in the morning. Of course, Mala- 
 khoff was immediately the word, and most persons supposed 
 that the long talked of assault was to be made This, how- 
 ever, was soon found not to be the case. An attack was ex- 
 pected to take place along the whole line. Without tap 
 of drum or sound of bugle, the camp was afoot at the pre- 
 scribed hour, the troops forming up in profound silence. The 
 entire army was out, including the cavalry and artillery from 
 Balaklava. The first grey of morning found a number of 
 officers and amateurs assembled on Cathcart's-hill, the best 
 point of observation. There was unusually little firing yester- 
 day and last night, and all expected that this tranquillity was 
 quickly to be broken by the din of an engagement. The in- 
 terest of the situation grew stronger as the morning advanced, 
 and as the scarlet columns became visible, massed along the 
 lines, motionless and expectant. Superior officers, with their 
 stafi", moved to and fro ; aides-de-camp traversed the heights 
 with orders ; here and there, through the still imperfect light, 
 which began to be tinged with the first red flush of sunrise, 
 waved the pennons of a Lancer escort. With broad day the 
 brief excitement ended. Before the upper edge of the sun's 
 disk rose above the hills, the troops were marching briskly 
 back to their tents. The morning was beautifully clear, and 
 the spectacle was striking, In fine order, in serried columns, 
 
 VOL. II. E
 
 50 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 looking hardy, active, and cheerful, and up to any work, the 
 Crimean ami}- regained its canvas quarters. For the day the 
 danger was ovei" — to commence again, it is believed, to-night. 
 From certain orders that have been given with respect to am- 
 munition, mules, &c., I infer that the army will again be under 
 arms early to-morrow morning. The officers are warned to be 
 ready at a moment's notice. It is believed that reinforcements 
 have reached Sebastopol. They have been expected for some 
 time past. Four divisions are talked of, two of them Imperial 
 Guards. Word has been sent up from the fleet to head- 
 quarters that large bodies of troops were seen collecting behind 
 the Redan, and others behind the Tchernaya, and there were 
 grounds for expecting a general attack along our lines. The 
 generals of division assembled yesterday afternoon at the quar- 
 ters of the Commander-in-Chief. General Simpson is indisposed, 
 and it is reported that he intends going on hoard ship for a few 
 days. It was thought probable that he had summoned his 
 subordinates to confer with them before absenting himself; 
 but it may now be supposed that the meeting had refer- 
 ence to last night's operation. It is not impossible that this 
 turn-out of the array was a mere rehearsal intended to ascer- 
 tain whether all the actors were perfect in their parts, and in 
 case of need would be promptly at their posts. The report to-day 
 in camp was, that the Archduke Michael is in Sebastopol. We 
 lately learned from deserters that he was expected. 
 
 To-night I am informed that our cavalry has been withdrawn 
 from Baidar and its neighbourhood. Concerning this you will 
 doubtless receive positive information from another quarter. 
 General Pelissier holds 40,000 men in readiness to operate on 
 the line of the Tchernaya, which, from its extent, is, perhaps, 
 the most attackable part of our position ; but it is vigilantly 
 guarded, and I entertain no doubt as to the result should the 
 Eussians venture to assail us. 
 
 The " Orinoco" has arrived at Balaklava with Dragoons and 
 horses. Mr. Doyne, Superinteiident-iu-Chief of the Army 
 Worlcing Corps, has also arrived. He came as far as Con- 
 stantinople in the " Simoom" with 450 of his men, who •wiW 
 quickly follow him hither. The corps is to consist of 1000 
 men. JMr. Doyne has had an interview with Colonel Macmurdo, 
 in command of the Laud Transport Corps. I understand that 
 it is not intended, as was at first proposed, to employ the Army 
 Working Corps under fire unless in case of absolute necessity.
 
 SHELLS IK MOTION. 51 
 
 They will be set to making roads, cleaning the camp, and 
 similai" highly useful and necessary occupations. 
 
 The stall" of the railway, which had been greatly diminished 
 by illness and other causes, has been broken up. Mr. Beattie 
 has been requested by General Simpson to remain to superintend 
 the working of the railway and all engineering matters con- 
 nected with it. 
 
 Two vessels have been sent from Balaklava to Gibraltar for 
 mortar. We are informed that no less than eleven vessels 
 sailed from England between the 20th and 30th ult. laden with 
 guns and ammunition, and bound for the Crimea. 
 
 Deputy- Assistant Commissary-General Coppinger, attached 
 to the Fourth Division, died on Saturday, of fever, and was 
 buried yesterday afternoon. He was much liked and respected 
 here, and a large number of officers followed him to the grave. 
 
 It is now past eleven o'clock, and I find that no orders liave 
 as yet been given for a turn-out, but merely that all should be 
 ready at very brief notice. Unlike last night, the unwonted 
 stillness of which had something almost ominous — warned, as we 
 were, of a probable encounter — the fire of the batteries is pretty 
 much as usual, and from Catlicart's-hill, a short time ago, the 
 shells were to be seen traversing the darkness, in low curves or in 
 lofty flight, according as they were thrown from gun or from 
 mortar, while the round shot hurtled through the air, and the 
 rifles sparkled at various points of the lines, 
 
 August 14. 
 
 The night has passed quietly, and there has been no occasion 
 to turn out the troops. 
 
 It is known at head-quarters that the enemy are pre- 
 paring for an attack ; and General de la Marmora has greatly 
 strengthened the Sardinian position on the Tchernaya. On 
 the afternoon of the 13th a brave and distinguished young 
 ofiicer. Major Hugh Drummond, Scots Fusileer Guards, was 
 killed in the advanced trenches. 
 
 Drafts arrived to the Light Division ; the 71st Regiment, 
 and one squadron of 1st Dragoon Guards, landed at Balaklava. 
 The casualties from the 10th to the 12th were 19 killed; one 
 officer, and 112 wouud»;d. T. H. 
 
 e2
 
 52 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Supposed arrival of Grenadiers in tlie Kussian camp — Precautionary mea- 
 sures — Summer residences of the Itiissian nobility — Country liousc of an 
 old French doctor — Tlu; Turks cause liiin and his family alarm and 
 inconvenience — He complains to ( cneral 1 clissier — The result — Booty 
 — Tlie English put a stop to the ilunderins;, but the French are 
 permitted to continue their excursions — Excessive politeness of the 
 marauders. 
 
 The Allied Camp on toe Tchernaya, August 14. 
 Since I last wi-ote, part ol' the reinforcements which the 
 Russians were expecting have arrived, — at least, positive intelli- 
 gence has been received of the arrival of a division of Grenadiers. 
 In consequence of this intelligence we are more than ever on 
 the alert ; but as these newly arrived troops are concentrated, 
 at least for the present, in and about Sebastopol, if there is an 
 attack at all, it seems to be intended rather against our 
 works in front than the Tchernaya line. It was, nevertheless, 
 thought prudent to keep a part at least of the army on the 
 Tchernaya under arms during the last two nights, and ready 
 for any sudden emergency. Moreover, the Sardinians made 
 yesterday morning a reconnaissance over the plateau on the 
 other side of the Tchernaya and on the banks of the Tchouliou, 
 but without encountering any trace of the enemy. The dis- 
 tance, however, from Sebastopol over the Mackenzie ridge is so 
 small that troops could come in one night from it to the 
 Tchernaya. 
 
 The English cavalry, which was encamped in the valley of 
 Baidar, yesterday received sudden orders to return, but the 
 French are still there, collecting hay and making excursions to 
 the villas on the sea-side towards Aloupka. These beautiful 
 summer residences of the Russian nobility have long been spared 
 our visits, but they could not altogether escape their fate. The 
 Turkish ti'oops, with the exception of l>ashi-Bazouks and Arnauts, 
 of whom there are none here, are not much given to roam about ; 
 so while they were in tlie neighbourhood of Baidar the country- 
 houses on the sea-side alongtheWoronzoff-road escaped altogetlier. 
 The Turks contented themselves with exploring tlie immediate 
 neighbourhood. Baidar itself and the other villages in the 
 valley afford little in the shape of booty. Moreover, the Turks 
 in general make it a point not to plunder their co-religionists.
 
 THE FRENCH DOCTOR'S HOME. 53 
 
 and the inhabitants of the valley are mostly Mahommedans. 
 But they found out a little country-house on the sea-shore, 
 called Laspi, where an old French doctor, who had been esta- 
 "blished for many yeai's in Russia, was living with his famUy; 
 and one fine morning a complaint was made to the French 
 General-in-Chief by his countryman that five Turkish soldiei's 
 had come to pay a visit to Laspi. They were received and fed 
 like guests, but before going away they asked for mad jar 
 (Hungarian ducats, the best known foreign money among the 
 Tui'ks). The old doctor, who of course understood nothing of 
 their language but the word madjar, thought it was nothing 
 more than a polite inquiry about his nationality ; and, wishing 
 to rectify the supposed mistake of his guests, he pointed to the 
 French cockade which he had, by a wise precaution, fixed on 
 his cap, in order not to be mistaken for a Russian, saying at the 
 same time " Fran^ais, Fran^ais." But when one of the 
 soldiers took hold of his watch and chain, and when the others 
 began to search the ladies, he was soon aware that it was he, 
 and not the Turks, who had made the mistake. A blow with 
 the butt-end of a musket left him no doubt that resistance was 
 useless, and the soldiers departed after having carried away, 
 according to his account, objects to the value of about 2()0^. 
 General Pelissier, on the complaint of the French doctor, 
 addressed a complaint to the Turkish head-quarters, in order to 
 have things investigated and the guilty punished. The answer 
 was that the Turks had the strictest orders not to plunder, and 
 that any supposition to the contrary was an insult to their 
 character ; that the marauders could not have been Turkish 
 soldiers ; and that the dress and flint muskets, which exist only 
 in the Turkish army, must have been borrowed or taken in 
 order to make believe that they were Turkish soldiers — and 
 thus the aftair remained. The old doctor retired to Baidar, 
 and the ladies went over to the Russians. 
 
 But this was an isolated case. Since the French and English 
 cavalry have occupied the valley, the visits to the countiy- 
 houses have become much more systematic. The Russians, 
 having entirely withdrawn from the coast up to Yalta, having 
 only isolated Cossack pati'ols about, the whole row of country- 
 houses on the shore has been opened to enterprising individuals, 
 and every morning you could see arabas and pack-horses 
 coming over the Woronzoff-road into Baidar, loaded with the 
 most heterogeneous objects ; chairs, beds, crockery, carpets,
 
 54 LINE OP THE TCHEKNAYA. 
 
 pictui'es, albums, ladies' -work-baskets, embroidered cualiions, 
 cooking ntensils, wine, and hmidreds of other tilings were 
 brouglit back and sold all along the road. In order to put a 
 stop to these excursions, an English cavalrj' picket was stationed 
 at the archway, which is erected on the highest point of the 
 Woronzoff-road, just before it begins to descend towards tlie 
 sea, and nobody was allowed to enter except with a pass. But 
 this mended things only half — that is to say, no English 
 soldier was permitted to indulge in a roa-ming disposition ; but 
 French marauders as before came, duly provided with a pass, 
 and returned with as much plunder as they could possibly carry. 
 The usual style was a string of pack-horses, mules, or carts, with 
 Lalf-a-dozen camp-followers of the worst description, escorted 
 by a couple of soldiers. The thing seems to have been quite 
 systematically arranged, for they often refused to sell, iinder the 
 plea that they had to share with their comrades, or that the 
 things belonged to officers — very likely an excuse for passing 
 safe. If you showed any curiosity about the affair, you were 
 asked whether you wanted any household furniture, such as 
 chairs, or mirrors, lamps, beds, &c., and were told that you had 
 only to say where the things were to be brought to, and that you 
 should have them. There was nobody at these country-houses, 
 the Cossacks sent only an occasional shot from the distance, 
 and there were two French steamers to keep the road open, 
 which leads quite close to the shore ; so there was full security. 
 I have not heard of any case where the marauders have come to 
 harm. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE TCHEKNATA. 
 
 Camp on the Tchernaya, August IC. 
 
 The long-threatened attack of the Russians on the Tchernaya 
 line has at last taken place, and ended in the complete defeat of 
 the enemy. During the last few days the signs of an impend- 
 ing Russian attack became more and more frequent. Move- 
 ments of large numbers of troops in the neighbourhood of Sebas- 
 topol, the unanimous reports of the deserters, of whom several 
 came in every day, and, lastly, information gained from Tartars, 
 who are continually bringing in news from the Russian lines, 
 were all to the effect that the Russians, having received part of 
 the reinforcements which they were expecting, intended to try 
 their luck once more in an offensive operation. 
 
 Although, at first, the line of the Tchernaya suggested itself
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR THE BATTLE. 55 
 
 as the point which the Russians would most prohahly attack, a 
 supposition which was moreover confirmed by al! the deserters, 
 yet, as large numbers of newly arrived troops were seen concen- 
 trated in and about the Russian woi'ks, apprehensions were 
 entertained that perhaps the Russians might attempt something 
 against the positions of the allied armies before Sebastopol, and 
 the chief attention was consequently directed to that point. 
 
 Yesterday again several deserters came in, and spoke with 
 the utmost certainty of an intended attack on the Tchernaya 
 lines ; but as tliis had been already the case several tim.es during 
 the last fortnight, no pai'ticular attention was paid to their reports, 
 and no special orders were given to the troops, except to be 
 prepared for an attack ; and this had been so often repeated that 
 it made no impression. In addition to this, our attention was 
 drawn off from the Lower Tchernaya by the news from Baidar. 
 I wrote in my last letter that when the arrival of fresh troops 
 at Sebastopol became known, the four troops of English Light 
 Cavalry were withdrawn from Baidar, and only two regiments 
 of heavy French cavah'y and a few Chasseurs and Zouaves re- 
 mained in the valley until all the hay collected could be carried 
 away. Yesterday afternoon. General AUonville sent word from 
 Baidar by telegraph that large numbers of Russian troops were 
 concentrated on the heights above the valley, and that he ex- 
 pected to be attacked. The telegraphic message was interrupted 
 by the dense fog which prevailed in the afternoon, but late in the 
 evening notice of this message of Genei'al AUonville's was sent 
 to General La ]\Iarmora and Osman Pasha. As the cavalry at 
 Baidar would be exposed to be cut off if it were attacked by a 
 considerable force, on account of the great number of carts which 
 are down in the valley for the transport of hay, and which 
 would encumber the Woronzoff-road, an attack on that side 
 seemed not at all improbable. 
 
 From all these circumstances it followed that no additional 
 precautions were taken on the Tchernaya line, and that the 
 attack was scarcely less a surprise than that of Inkermann. 
 
 The first news of an actual assault was brought about day- 
 break by some French Chasseurs, who, forming part of a patrol, 
 fell into an ambuscade of the Russians, and narrowly escaped, 
 while their comrades were taken prisoners. Soon afterwards 
 the outposts across the Tchernaya were driven in, and about 
 daybreak the cannonade began. 
 
 For the better understanding- of the movements I must give
 
 56 LIKE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 you some description of the locality. The Tchernaya, coining 
 out at the tower of Karlovka from the narrow gorge in which 
 it runs after leaving the valley of Baidar, flows between a suc- 
 cession of hillocks on both sides. These hillocks form the basis 
 of the position of the allied armies. On the extreme right, 
 beginning where the Tchernaya comes out of the gorge down to 
 the little mountain streams which fall into tlie Tchernaya from 
 the south, are the Turks. They occupy two hillocks, and 
 between them are two roads which lead from Higher Tchorgoun 
 and the tower of Karlovka into the Woronzoff-road. The Sar- 
 dinian position leads to the right on the little mountain stream 
 which limits the Tuvkisli position to the left. They occupj^ the 
 large solitary standing hillock which used to be held by the 
 Cossacks, and which extends down to the open ground over 
 which the road from Balaklava to Tchorgoun leads. This hillock 
 had been lately considerably strengthened and provided with 
 batteries, and, as it is a very commanding position, was of the 
 utmost importance in the defence of the Tchernaya line. lu 
 front of this hillock, and divided from it bjj- the aqueduct which 
 begins there, is another smaller but equally steep hillock, acces- 
 sible from the first by a stone bridge, and on this hillock the 
 Sardinians had a small epaulement guarded by a detachment of 
 infantr3\ Beyond both these hillocks, on the other side of ths 
 Tcliernaya, they had moreover on the mound nearest to the 
 Mackenzie-road their outposts, which could thus watch the 
 movements of the enemy and give timely alarm in case of an 
 attack. The French occupy the last series of hillocks to the left 
 of the Sardinians, and guard the road which leads from Bala- 
 klava over the Traktir-bridge up to Mackenzie's farm. The 
 hillocks occupied by thom are three in number; the first, to 
 the right, is separated from the others by tlie great road loading 
 to the bridge ; and the last, to the left, is protected by the basin 
 which the aqueduct forms here, and is separated by another open 
 space, similar to that on the right of the French position, 
 from the ridge on which the army of observation was during 
 the winter. In front of the bridge the French had constructed 
 a small epaulement to guard the passage of the river, beyond 
 which they had their outposts. 
 
 The first movement of the Russians was against the outposts 
 of the Sardinians on the opposite bank of the river. Correspond- 
 ing to the hillocks on this side of the Tchernaya are tlu'ee pla- 
 teaux on the opposite bank. They were chosen ibr the left of
 
 THE FIRST ASSAULT. 57 
 
 the Russian position against the Turks and the Sardinians. 
 These pLateaux were, therefore, first to be secured, for the gams 
 coukl command from them not only the hillocks opposite occu- 
 pied by the Sardinians and Turks, but likewise the plain which 
 opens towards the French position. A company of infantry of 
 the line and a company of Bersaglieri formed the Sardinian out- 
 posts. They were attacked at dawn by the Russians. As the 
 troops were not yet under arms it was necessary to hold this 
 position for a while, and General De La Marmora sent over 
 Major Govone, of the Etat-Major, with a company of Bersaglieri, 
 to reinforce the two companies already there. They crossed the 
 aqueduct and the river, and went up the plateau ; but, Avhen 
 they arrived on the crest of it, the two companies had just left the 
 eptxulement behind which they had until then defended them- 
 selves gallantly against the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, 
 but which had become untenable, as it was swept by the guns 
 which the Russians had brought up on the two other plateaux, 
 and besides was exposed to be taken in the rear. So the troops 
 retired in good order across the river, and went to reinforce the 
 post which occupied the second hillock on the banks of the 
 aqueduct. In the mean time the cannonade on both sides had 
 begun. The Russians left us not long in doubt where they 
 would attack, for, scarcely had the cannonade commenced, when 
 three compact masses of infantry were seen advancing towards 
 the plain opposite to the French position. The points chosen 
 were the bridge and the hillock to the right. The masses, 
 which in the morning sun looked like glittering waves, protected 
 by the fire of their artillery, moved in excellent order down to 
 the river side, notwithstanding the heavy fire of artillery which 
 greeted them in front from the French, and in flank from the 
 Sardinians. At the river the first column detached itself from 
 the rest, and dividing into two cobimns crossed the river, which 
 is now nearly everywhere easily fordable. Men carrying move- 
 able wooden bridges preceded, but in the first rush the Russians, 
 without waiting for bridges, went over wherever they could, and 
 dispersing like a swarm of bees, rushed forward in columns, 
 some against the bridge, and others against the hillock on the 
 right. 
 
 As I said above, the continual apprehension of an impending 
 attack had at last allnj-ed the interest for it, and, notwith- 
 standing the signs which seemed to indicate some movement on 
 the part of the Russians, everybody slept as soundly as possible-
 
 58 LINE OF THE TCIIERNAYA. 
 
 until awakened by the Kussian guns. Before the troops were 
 properlj'' under arms the Russians were at the bridge and at 
 the foot of the hillock. The 20th Icger and the 2nd battalion 
 of Zouaves had to stand the first shock, and they certainly stood 
 it gallantly. The rush of the Russians was splendid. Without 
 losing their time with firing, they advanced with an ilcui scarcely 
 ever seen in Russian troops. Some French soldiers of Camou's 
 Division,who have during the winter guarded the trenches towards 
 the Quarantine, and have had nearly daily skirmishes with the 
 Russians, assured me that they never saw them moving on in 
 such a style. They were new troops, belonging, accoi'ding to 
 the prisoners and wounded, to the 5th division of the 2nd corps 
 d'annee lately arrived from Poland. But their ardour was soon 
 checked. They could not carry their point, and were, after a 
 short trial, repulsed both on the l^ridge and the hillock. The 
 aqueduct which supplies the Turks, and which runs close to the 
 foot of the hillock, formed the chief defence of the French. 
 About nine or ten feet wide and several feet deep, it skirts the 
 steep hills so close, that it is nearly in all places supported by a 
 high embankment, oflferLng considerable difficulties for an ad- 
 vancing force, and exposing it, as soon as it reaches the top of 
 it, to the musketry fire from the heights. Notwithstanding 
 this difficulty, the Russians crossed it on the right, and were 
 beginning to scale the lieights, when, taken in flank by the Sar- 
 dinian batteries, which fired with admirable precision, they were 
 swept down wholesale and rolled into the aqueduct below. 
 
 This first rush did not last more than ten minutes. The 
 Russians fell back, but they had scarcely gone a few hundred 
 yards when they were met by the second column, which was 
 advancing a pas de charge to support the fu'st, and both umted 
 and again rushed forward. This second attempt was more suc- 
 cessful than the first. At the bridge they forded the river on 
 the right and left, and forced the defenders of it to fall back. 
 Scarcely was the bridge free when two guns of the 5th Light 
 Brigade of Artillery crossed it and took up a position on the 
 opposite side in an open space which divides two of the hillocks, 
 and through which the road leads to the plain of Balaklava. 
 While those two guns passed the bridge a third crossed the 
 river by a ford, and all three began to sweep the road and the 
 heights. The infantry in the mean time, without waiting for the 
 portable bridges, the greater part of which had, moreover, been 
 thrown awaj' during the advance, rushed breast-deep into thewater.
 
 CONFLICT ON THE BRIDGE. 59 
 
 clinited up the cmbanktnent, and began to scale the heights on 
 both sides. They succeeded on this point in getting up more than 
 one-half of the ascent, where the dead and wounded aft-erwards 
 showed clearly the mark which they reached ; but by the time 
 they arrived there the French were fully prepared and met them 
 in the most gallant style. Notwitlistanding the exertions and 
 the perseverance of the Eussians, they were by degrees forced 
 back and driven, after an obstinate resistance, across the bridge, 
 carrying away their guns. 
 
 While this conflict took place on the bridge, the other column 
 again attacked the French right. This time they came on in such 
 a swarm that they could neither be kept back by the aqueduct, 
 nor cowed by the Sardinian guns, which were ploughing long 
 lanes through their scattered lines. On they came, as it seemed, 
 ii-resistible, and rushed up the steep hill with such fury that the 
 Zouaves, who lined the sides of it, were obliged to fall back for 
 a moment before the multitude. You could plainly see the 
 officers leading the way, and animating their soldiers. I parti- 
 cularly observed one gallant fellow, who, at least twenty yards 
 in advance of the whole column, was the &st across the aque- 
 duct, and I saw him still on the side of the hill. This furious 
 rush brought the advancing column in an incredibly short time 
 to the crest of the hillock, where it stopped to form. But the 
 French had not been idle during the time that the Russians 
 were ascending the hill. The Zouaves had only fallen back 
 from the side of the hillock to the main body, which had been 
 drawn up behind the top. Scarcely did the column of the 
 enemy show its head, when the guns opened on it with grape, 
 and a mm'derous fire was poured down upon it by the French 
 infantry. This immediately stopped the advance of the column, 
 which began to waver, but the impetus from those behind was 
 so powerful that the head of it, notwithstanding the unexpected 
 reception, was pushed forward a few yards more, when the 
 French, giving one mighty cheer, rushed upon the advancing 
 enemy, who, shaken already, immediately tui-ned round and ran 
 down, if possible, faster than they had come up. But the mass 
 was so great that all the hurry could not save them, and more 
 than 200 prisoners were taken on the spot, while the hill-side, 
 the banks of the aqueduct, the aqueduct itself, and the river-side 
 Avere filled with the dead and the wounded. The Sardinian and 
 French artillery poured, moreover, a murderous cross-fire into 
 the scattered remains of the column, of which scarcely a shot
 
 60 LINE OF THE TCHERXAYA. 
 
 missed. It was a complete rout. The French rashetl clown the 
 hill-side and di'ove them far across the plain. This defeat seems 
 to have so completely cowed them that nothing more was 
 attempted against this side. 
 
 Not so on the bridge. Notwithstanding the heavy loss suf- 
 fered by the second attack, the Russians once more concen- 
 trated all their forces, collected the scattered remains of the 
 column which had been routed on the right of the French posi- 
 tion, and brought up all their reserves to attempt one more 
 attack. They again crossed the river, and the aqueduct too, 
 and tried to take the heights — but in vain ; the French were now 
 thoroughly prepared, and the tenacity of the Russians only 
 served to augment their losses. They were soon seen flying in all 
 directions, followed by the French. This last attack was deci- 
 sive, and immediately the usual Russian preparation for I'ctrcat 
 — namely, the advance of the artillery — showed clearly that the 
 Russians acknowledged themselves defeated and were on the 
 point of retiring. Three batteries, each of twelve guns, which 
 during the greatest part of the attack had been nearly silent, 
 began to open their fire while the scattered remains of the 
 infantry columns rallied behind a rising ground leading up 
 towards the plateau of Ayker, or Mackenzie's height. 
 
 The Sai'dinians, who, with the exception of the little outpost 
 fight on the opposite side of the Tchernaya, had confined them- 
 selves to support the French by their admirable artillery, which 
 entirely subdued the Russian fire on the opposite plateaux, 
 began now to move across the aqueduct. The Russian riflemen 
 after the last defeat on the right, had retired behind the banks 
 of the Tchernaya, whence they kept up a brisk but ineffective 
 fire. A battalion of Piedmontese, preceded by a company of 
 Bersaglieri, advanced in beautiful order as if on parade, and 
 soon drove these riflemen from their position. It even advanced 
 some way towards the plateaux ; but, as it was not intended to 
 force the heights, it contented itself, supported by other troops, 
 with following the enemy, who was already in full retreat. 
 
 The French had during the battle brought up a new division 
 (Dulac's). Besides this, the English and French cavalry were 
 in readiness on the plain leading to the river, the ground of the 
 Light Cavalry charge last year, to receive the enemy if he 
 should Ibrce the passage of the river and debouch on the plain. 
 But General Morris would not risk the cavalry on the plain, 
 intersected as it was by the branches of the river, and defended
 
 RUSSIAN CAVALRY. 61 
 
 as it was still by the Russian guns on the height ; so only two 
 squadrons of Chasseurs d'Afrique followed the enemy. 
 
 The guns which the Russians had brought up to cover their 
 retreat suffered so much by the fire from our side, which was 
 increased by Captain Mowbray's battery opening upon them 
 from the open ground between the Sardinian and the French 
 positions, that they made off in a hurry. Scarcely a shot was 
 thrown away, and so admirable was the practice, that all the shot 
 fell at or close to the guns, which we could plainly distinguish, as 
 a slight breeze carrying off the smoke left a beautiful view over 
 the whole battle-field. But the Russian guns returned only for 
 a moment under cover, and soon after you could see a brilliant 
 line of cavalry debouching from the rising ground, where it had 
 been hitherto hidden. I could distinguish five regiments — • 
 three in one line, and two other regiments on the flanks in 
 second line. They advanced at a gallop, and, wheeling round, 
 allowed twelve guns to pass, which again opened their fire, but 
 only for a short time, and at half-past nine or ten o'clock the 
 dust on the Mackenzie-road, and the black lines moving off, 
 were the only traces which remained of the so long threatened 
 attack of the Russians. 
 
 Everybody now rushed to the battle-field, and one look was 
 sufiicient to convince them that the allies had won a real battle 
 on the Tchernaya. Although not quite so obstinate and 
 sanguinary as the Battle of Inkermann, which this afi'air re- 
 sembled in many points, it was a pitched battle. The Russians, 
 as in the Battle of Inkermann, gave up manoeuvring, and con- 
 fided entirely in the valour of their troops. The essential 
 difference was in the manner of fighting. At the Battle of 
 Inkermann the great mass of the Russians fell under the file 
 firing and the bayonets of the infantry, while on the Tchernaya 
 it was the guns which did the greatest execution. Most of the 
 wounded and dead showed frightful traces of round-shot, grape, 
 shell, and canister, so that, as a battle-field, one could scarcely 
 imagine anything more terrible. Nearly all the wounds were 
 on the legs and the head. On the banks of the aqueduct par- 
 ticularly, the sight was appalling ; the Russians when scaling 
 the embankment of the aqueduct were taken in flank by the 
 Sardinian batteries, and the dead and wounded rolled down the 
 embankment, sometimes more than twenty feet in height. The 
 French made every possible despatch to collect the wounded. 
 They were laid on the open space about the bridge until the
 
 62 LINE OP THE TCHERNATA. 
 
 am'bulances arrived. While there, the Russians, who could 
 plainly see that the French were engaged in bringing help to 
 their own wretched countrymen, suddenly began to open with 
 their guns upon them, repeating the barbarous practice which 
 they had already often previously shown to the troops. A 
 gentleman who was with me at the moment, and who spealcs 
 Russian, asked one of the poor fellows who was trying to trudge 
 along with deep flesh wounds on both his thighs, what he 
 thought of the behaviour of the Kussians m firing among their 
 own wounded ? He answered, " They are accustomed to beat 
 us when we are with them, and there is no wonder that they 
 should try to ill-treat us when we are on the point of escaping 
 out of their power." 
 
 According to the account of the prisoners, and judging from 
 the straps on the shoulders of the wounded and dead, three 
 divisions were engaged in the actual attack, — the 5th of the 2nd 
 corps (Tarmee (of General Paniutin), lately arrived from Poland, 
 under the command of General Wrangel ; the 12th division of 
 the 4th corps d'ar7nee (Osten Sacken's), formerly under the 
 command of General Liprandi, now under General Martinolep ; 
 and the 17th division of the 6th corps d'armee (Liprandi's), 
 under Major-General Wassielcosky. The prisoners say that even 
 the I'eserves took part in the action. I saw a soldier belonging 
 to the last battalion of the reserves, and he said, that before the 
 attack began, General Gortschakoff, who commanded in person, 
 had a letter from the Empsror read before them, in which he ex- 
 pressed a hope that they would prove as valorous as last year when 
 they took the heights of Balaklava, and then there was a large 
 distribution of brandy. Not a soldier I saw who had not liis 
 bottle lying empty near him, and good-sized bottles they were, 
 too. This brandy distribution was, however, only for the 
 infantry, whom they wished to excite to madness. The artillery 
 got only the usual rations. 
 
 Besides the three divisions which attacked, there was another, 
 the 7th, whicii occupied Tchorgoun and the heights, but which 
 did not attack except in the small outpost affair of the 
 Sardinians. 
 
 August IS. 
 
 The attack has not been renewed, and the French have been 
 for the last two days busy in bringing in the wounded Eussians 
 and burying the dead. Up to yesterday Cv-ening, 1800 
 wounded and prisoners have been brought in. The number
 
 FRENCH AND SAKDINIAN LOSS. 63 
 
 of dead, of •whom I have not heard any official estimate, cannot 
 be less than from 1200 to 1500. Of course the hridge and 
 the banks of the aqueduct are the spots most crowded with 
 them. The latter is quite choked up with them, so that it has 
 been forbidden to -water the horses from it, for fear it should 
 prove injurious to their health. 
 
 The French had three divisions engaged — the Division Fau- 
 cheux to the right, the Division d'Herbillon in the centre of 
 the bridge, and the division (Camou) on the left ; their loss is 
 about 1000 in dead and wounded. The Sardinians had only 
 one division engaged (the Division Trotti), and suffered very 
 little, having lost but a few hundred men ; they have, however, 
 to regret the loss of a distinguished general officer, the 
 Brigadier-General Count de Montevecchio, who is severely 
 wounded, and not expected to live. 
 
 Not protected by any intrenchments, except that small 
 epaulement near the bridge, which, moreover, could be turned 
 on all sides, our gallant allies, although taken by surprise, 
 showed once more that the Russians have no chance against 
 them in the field — that they must remain behind their earth- 
 works, and be protected by siege guns, in order to establish a 
 Icind of equilibrium with the allies. It is worthy of remark, 
 that the gi-eater part of the Eussians were old soldiers, scarcely 
 one bemg under thirty. 
 
 According to the account of the prisoners, most of them came 
 from Bakschisei-ai, and they had to attack without resting 
 after their march. They had all large quantities of bread in 
 their foraging sacks hung across their shoulders, but no knap- 
 sacks. 
 
 The French outpost beyond the bridge consisted of a com- 
 pany of the 2nd regiment of Zouaves. The other avant postes, 
 to the right of the Zouaves up to the Sardinian outposts, were 
 furnished by the 20th leger and the 22nd of the line. The 
 reveil had not yet gone in camp, but some of the men were 
 already busy in preparing their coffee, when the sentinels in 
 advance were alarmed by hearing close at hand the tramp of 
 men, whose forms were yet invisible in the darkness. Discharg- 
 ing their muskets, they ran in to the posts, who had not time 
 to stand to their arms ere they were engaged with overwhelming 
 masses of the enemy. They were driven across the river ; but 
 the desultory firing wdiich took place in this preliminary 
 skirmish had given timely warning to the main guards and to
 
 64 LIXE OP THE TCIIERNAYA. 
 
 the camps, and the men turned out just as a storm of round 
 shot began to rush over the ground, upsetting cainp-kettles, 
 dashing out tires, and destroying tents in its career. 
 
 The despatch of Marshal Pelissier is so admirably lucid, 
 that I shall make no apology for adding it to the excellent 
 description of my colleague, who was present during the action 
 from the tirst onset till its close. 
 
 Head Quarters, before Sebastopol, August 18. 
 
 Monsieur le Makechal, — You will have learnt by my 
 telegraphic despatches of yesterday and of the day before the 
 general results of the battle of the Tchernaya ; to-day I send 
 your Excellency a detailed report of that battle so glorious for 
 our arms. 
 
 For some days, although the enemy abstained from any 
 apparent movement, certain indications made us suppose he 
 would attack our lines on the Tchernaya. You know those 
 positions, which are excellent, and which are covered to the full 
 extent by the Tchernaya itself, and b}^ a canal, which forms a 
 second obstacle. The Sardinian army occupies the whole of the 
 right, opposite Tchorgoun ; the French troops guard the centre 
 and the left, which joins after a declivity our plateaux of Inker- 
 mann. Independently of a few fords, which are bad enough, 
 there are two bridges across the Tcheruaj'a and the canal. 
 One, a little above Tchorgoun, is imder the guns of the Pied- 
 montese ; the other, called Traktir Bridge, is below, and almost 
 in the centre of the French positions. Looking straight before 
 one towards the other bank of the Tchernaya, you behold to the 
 right the heights of Tchouliou, which, after extending them- 
 selves in imdulating plateaux, fell somewhat abruptly towards 
 the Tchernaya below Tchorgoun, opposite the Piedmontese. 
 These heights diminish opposite our centre, and starting from 
 that point to the rocky sides of the Mackenzie plateaux, there is 
 a plain about three or four kilometres in width. It is by that 
 plain that the Mackenzie-road leads across the Tchernaya at 
 Traktir Bridge, and, after passing through our pontoons, h-ads 
 into the Bala k lava plain. 
 
 A strict watch was kept all along our lines — the Turks, who 
 occupy the hilly ground of Balaklava, were on the alert, and 
 watched Alsou; and General d'AUonville, also put on his guard, 
 doubled his vigilance in the high valley of Baidar. My mind 
 was quite at rest, moreover, as regards the extreme right ; it is
 
 ADVANCE OF THE ENEMY. G5 
 
 one of those mountainous regions where it is impossible to 
 manoeuvre large bodies of men. The enemy could only make 
 false demonstrations there — in fixct, that is what occurred. In 
 the night between the 15th and 16th of August, General 
 d'Allonvillc notified that he had troops opposite him — but his 
 attitude imposed upon the enemj^ who attempted nothing on 
 that side, and dared not attack him. During this time, the 
 main body of the Eussian troops which had descended from the 
 Mackenzie heights with the intention of debouching near Ai 
 Todor, advanced, favoured by night, on the Tchernaya ; to the 
 right the 7th, 5th, and 12th divisions crossed the plain ; and to 
 the left the 17th division, a portion of the 6th and the 4th, 
 followed the plateau of Tchouliou. A strong body of cavalry 
 and 160 pieces of artillery supported the infantry. 
 
 A little before daybreak the advanced posts of the Sardinian 
 army, placed as videttes as far as the heights of Tchouliou, fell 
 back, and announced that the enemy was advancing in con- 
 siderable force. Shortly afterwards, in fact, the Russians lined 
 the heights of the right bank of the Tchernaya with heavy 
 guns {pieces de position), and opened fire on us. 
 
 General Herbillon, who commanded the French troops on this 
 point, had made his arrangements for battle to the right of the 
 Traktir-road. Faucheux's division, with the 3rd battery of tho 
 12th artillery in the centre; his own division, with the 6th 
 company of the 13th ; to the left, Camou's division, with the 
 4th battery of the 13th. On his side. General De la Marmora 
 had ranged his troops in oi'der of battle. At the same time. 
 General Morris's fine division of Chasseurs d'Afrique, speedily 
 joined by General Scarlett's numerous and valiant English 
 cavalry, took up a position behind the hills of Kamara and 
 Traktir. This cavalry was to take the enemy in flank, in case 
 he should succeed in forcing a passage by one of the three outlets 
 of Tchorgoun, or Traktir, or at the incline to the left of General 
 Camou. 
 
 Colonel Forgeot, in command of the artillery of the Tcher- 
 naya lines, kept six batteries of horse artillery, two of which 
 belonged to the Imperial Guard, ready to act as a reserve. Six 
 Turkish battalions of Osman Pasha's army, led by Sefer Pasha, 
 came to lend us their assistance. Finall)^ I ordered forward 
 Levaillant's division of the 1st corps, Dulac's division of the 
 2nd corps, and the Imperial Guard, comprising reserves capable 
 of remedying the most serious contretemps. The thick mist 
 
 VOL. II. F
 
 66 LINE OF THE TCIIERNAYA. 
 
 •\vlilch covered tlie depths of the Tchemaya, and the smoke of 
 the cannonade which had just commenced, prevented lis dis- 
 tiugiiishing against which particular point the chief effoi-t of 
 the enemy would be directed ; when, on our extreme left, the 7tli 
 Bussian division came tilt against Camou's division. Keceived 
 by the 50th of the line, the 3rd Zouaves, who charged them 
 ■with the bayonet, and by the 82nd, which took them in flank, 
 the enemy's columns were compelled to make a demivolte to 
 recross the canal, and could only escape the fire of our artillery 
 by getting out of range to rally. That division did not appear 
 again during the day. 
 
 In the centre, the struggle was longer and more desperate. 
 The enemy had sent two divisions (the 12th supported by the 
 5th) against Traktir Bridge. JEany of their column rushed 
 at once upon the bridge, and the temporary passages they con- 
 stimcted with ladders, pontoons, and madriers. They then crossed 
 the Tchemaya, the trench of our lines,and advanced bravely on our 
 positions. But, assailed by Generals Faucheux and De Failly, 
 these columns were routed, and the men recrossed the bridge 
 occupied by the 95th, and were pursued bej'ond it by the 2nd 
 Zouaves, the 97th of the line, and by a portion of the 19th 
 battalion of Chasseurs a pied. 
 
 However, while the artillery was roaiing on both sides, the 
 Eussians re-formed their columns of attack, the mist had cleared, 
 and their movements became distinctly visible. Their 5th 
 division reinforced the 12th, which had just been engaged ; and 
 the 17th was preparing to descend the heights of Tchouliou to 
 support these two first divisions. 
 
 General Herbillon then ordered General Faucheux to be re- 
 inforced by Cler's Brigade, and gave the 73rd as a reserve to 
 General de Failly. Colonel Forgeot, moreover, placed four 
 batteries of horse artillery in position, which gave him on this 
 front a total of seven batteries to be brought to bear upon the 
 assailing masses. The result was that the second attempt of the 
 Russians, in spite of its energetic character, proved of no avail 
 against us ; and they were compelled to retreat with great loss. 
 
 The 17th Russian division, which had come down throwing 
 out large bodies of riflemen as skirmishers, had no better 
 success. Received with great resolution by General Cler's 
 Brigade, and by a half battery of the Imperial Guard, harassed 
 on the left by the troops of Tretti's Division, who pressed it 
 closely, that division was compclL-J to recross the Tchernaya,
 
 DEFEAT OF THi; RUSSIANS. G7 
 
 and to fall tack behind the batteries of position v.'hich lined 
 the heights froai which it had started. 
 
 From this moment, 9 a.m., the defeat of the enemj- was 
 inevitable. Their long columns withdrew as fast as they 
 could, under the protection of a considerable body of cavalry 
 and artillery. 
 
 For a moment I felt inclined to order a portion of the cavalry 
 to charge and cut down the remnant of the 17th Russian 
 Division, between the Tchouliou and Traktir bridges. With 
 this object in view, I had prepared some squadrons of Chasseurs 
 d'j\i'rique, who were joined by some Sardinian squadrons, and 
 by one of General Scarlett's regiments, the 12th Lancers (from 
 India) ; but the retreat of the Russians was so prompt that we 
 could only have made a small nimiber of prisoners, and this fine 
 cavalry might have been reached by some of the enemy's 
 batteries still in position ; I deemed it preferable not to expose 
 it for so small a result. General De la IMarmora did not, more- 
 over, stand in need of this support boldly to retake the advanced 
 positions which his small posts occupied on the heights of 
 Tchouliou. 
 
 At three o'clock the whole of the enemy's army had dis- 
 appeared. The Division of the Guard and Dulac's Division 
 relieved the divisions engaged, as they stood in need of some 
 re.st. I sent back the first corps of Levaillant's Division, and 
 the cavalry returned to its usual bivouack. This splendid 
 action does the greatest honour to the infantry, to the horse 
 artiller}^ of the Garde, to that of the reserve, and to the artil- 
 lery of divisions. I wiU shortly ask yom- Excellencj'- to place 
 before the Emperor the names of those who have deserved 
 rewards, and to submit to the approbation of his Majesty those 
 which I may have awarded in his name. Our losses are doubt- 
 less to be regi-etted, but they are not in proportion to the results 
 obtained, and to those we have inflicted upon the enemy. We 
 have eight superior ofiicers wounded, nine subaltern officers 
 killed, and fifty-three wounded ; 172 non-commissioned officers 
 and soldiers killed, 146 missing, and 1163 wounded. The 
 Russians have left 400 prisoners in our hands. The number of 
 their killed may be estimated at more than 3000, and of llieir 
 wounded at more than 5000, of which number 1626 men and 
 thirty-eight ofiicers have been taken to our ambulances. Among 
 the slain found by us are the bodies of two generals, whose 
 names 1 have not been able to ascertain. 
 f2
 
 68 LIXE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 The Sai'dinian arnij', which fought so valiantly at our side, 
 has about 250 men hors dc comhat. It inilicted a much 
 greater loss upon the encmj'. One hundred prisoners, and about 
 150 wounded, remain in its hands. I am sorry to announce to 
 your Excellency that (ieneral De la jMarmora has informed me 
 that General Count de Montevecchio, whose character and talents 
 he greatly appreciated, was killed gloriously at the head of his 
 brigade. 
 
 I must point out to your Excellency the rapidity with which 
 General Scarlett's cavalry, placed at my disposal by General 
 Simpson, came up. The martial appearance of these magniticcnt 
 squadrons betrayed an impatience which the happy and prompt 
 result of the battle did not allow me to gratify. 
 
 The English and Sardinian position batteries, and the 
 Turkish battery which Osman Pasha had sent to Alsou, fired 
 with great precision and success. I thanked Osman Pasha for 
 the promptitude with which he sent me six Turkish battalion;, 
 under Sefer Pasha (General Koscielzki), four of which during 
 the day occupied the passage near Tchorgoun. 
 
 jSTotliing remarkable took place during the day on the Sebas- 
 topol side. General De Salles and Bosquet were, however, pre- 
 pared to drive back with energy any attack of tlie besieged. 
 I send your Excellencj^ with this report the copy of the plan ibr 
 the battle of the 16th, found upon the body of a Russian 
 General, supposed to be General Eead, who conimanded the 
 enemy's right, and was especially entrusted with the attack on 
 Traktir Bridge. 
 
 I am, &c., itc, 
 
 Pelissier, 
 
 Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 As this battle really decided the fall of the place, inasmuch 
 as it enabled the Allies to continue without fear of molestation' 
 the armament of those tremendous batteries, wliich would have 
 annihilated the whole forces of Russia inside the walls of Sebas- 
 topol, it may not be uninteresting to add the despatches of General 
 Simpson, Avho was late on the field, and of General De la Mar- 
 mora, who took an active part in directing the operations of the 
 Sardinians on this memorable day. General Simpson wrote as 
 follows : — 
 
 I'.ErOIlE SEnASTOVOL, Aiif/ust 18. 
 
 IsIy Loeu, — In my despatch of tlie lith instant, I informed
 
 GENERAL SIMPSOx's DESPATCH. CO 
 
 jour lordship tliat I had reason to helieve that the Eussians would 
 attempt liy a vigorous attack to force us to raise the siege. 
 
 This they endeavoured to do on the morning of the IGth, hut 
 the result was most glorious to those of the Allied troops who 
 had the good fortune to he engaged. 
 
 The action commenced hefore daylight, hy a lieavy column of 
 Russians, under the command of General Liprandi, and composed 
 of the 6th and 17th Divisions, with the 4th and 7th Divisions 
 in reserve, attacking the advanced posts of the Sardinians. 
 
 The ground occupied hy them is on commanding hills on the 
 right of the position, on the left bank of the JSouhaia river, 
 where it forms its junction with the Tchernaya, with two 
 advanced posts on the opposite side. These were held with ver^'' 
 determined gallantry for a considerable time, but being separated 
 from their supports by the river, and not having the protection 
 of artiller}', they were compelled to leave the most advanced one. 
 
 About the same time, the 5th and 12th Divisions, to which 
 wa.s added a portion of the 17th, advanced against the bridge of 
 Ti-aktir, held by one battalion of French infantry of the line, wlio 
 Avere for a short time obliged to yield and fall back upon the 
 main supports ; with these, however, they quickly retook the 
 bridge at the point of the bayonet. 
 
 Again the Eussians attacked with persevering courage, and 
 were enabled to follow up their advantage by gaining the 
 heights which rise precipitously on each side of the road ; their 
 success was but momentary — they were driven back across the 
 river, leaving the ground covered with dead and wounded. 
 
 The Eussian General, in no way daunted by the failure of his 
 two attempts, ordered a second column, of equal force to the 
 first, to attack ; they advanced with such impetuosity^ covered 
 by the fire of their numerous artillery, that a third time the 
 bridge was carried, and the heights above it crowned, but they 
 were again repulsed, and retired in great confusion into the 
 plain, followed by the bayonets of our gallant Allies. 
 
 The General Officer who commanded the Eussian column, and 
 who is supposed to be General Eead, was killed, and in his pos- 
 session was found the orders for the battle, signed by Prince 
 Gortschakoff, who commanded in person. 
 
 From these it would appear that it was a most determined 
 attempt to force us to raise the siege. Had they succeeded, 
 Balaklava was to have been attacked by one portion of their 
 army, whilst the heights on which we now are, were to have
 
 70 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 "been stormed with the other ; at the same time a vigorous sortie 
 was to have been made from the town on the French worlcs on 
 our extreme left, from the Quarantine, and another on the works 
 on om- extreme right on Momit Sapomie. 
 
 The action which I have endeavoured to describe is most 
 glorious to the arms of the French and Sardinian troops. To 
 meet the force of the Russians, the former had but 12,000 
 infantry, and four batteries of artillery engaged ; the latter had 
 10,000 men in position, 4500 actually engaged, and twenty-four 
 pieces of cannon. 
 
 The Russian force consisted of from 50,000 to 60,000 men, 
 with 160 pieces of artillery, and cavalry to the amount of 6000. 
 
 This disparity of numbers wU readily explain to your lord- 
 ship the difficulty that would have been experienced, had an 
 attempt been made to follow up the advantage by a pm-suit. 
 The Russian retreat, moreover, was protected by the lire fi-om 
 the heavy guns in position on the Mackenzie heights. 
 
 The loss sustained by the Russians is estimated at between 
 5000 and 6000 men, including 600 prisoners, whilst on the part 
 of the Allies it does not amount to more than 1000 men. 
 
 ^This brilliant affiiir has caused the greatest delight amongst 
 the ranks of the allied army ; and while it adds fresh lustre to 
 the gallant achievements of the French arms, it is with the 
 utmost pleasure that I have to record the intrepid conduct and 
 gallant bearing of the Sardinian troops, nnder Geneial De la 
 Marmora, who have for the first time met, conquered, and shed 
 their blood against our common enemy, who is now disturbing 
 the peace of Europe. 
 
 Captain Mowbray's battery of 32-pounder howitzers was 
 placed in advance with the Sardinian troops, and did most excel- 
 lent service in preventing the advance of the enemy's artillerj% 
 
 Our cavalry, nnder Lieutenant-General Sir J. Scarlett, K.C.B,, 
 was placed in the plain of Balaklava, prepared to take advan- 
 tage of any circumstance that might present itself, but the 
 opportunity did not arise for calling upon their services. 
 
 I regret that I am unable to give a more detailed account of 
 the part performed b}' the Sardinians, as up to this time I have 
 not received General De la Marmora's report. 
 I have, &c., 
 
 James Simpson, 
 
 General Commanding. 
 The Lord Panmure, &c. d-c. tix.
 
 FURTHER PARTICULARS. 71 
 
 Befobe Sebastopol, August 18. 
 
 ISIy Lord, — General Pelissier having announced to me, that 
 the batteries against the Malakhoff and adjacent works were 
 prepared to open fire, arrangements were made that a steady 
 fire should be commenced yesterday morning against those 
 works and the Redan. 
 
 This continued throughout the day, and the effect produced 
 was as much as was anticipated. The Russian fire, which at 
 first answered briskly, became by the evening ieeble. In the 
 afternoon a shell from one of our mortar batteries ignited and 
 caused the explosion of a great number of shells in one of the 
 enemy's batteries, doing apparently much damage. 
 
 I regi'et to have to report the deaths of Captain Oldfield, of 
 the Roj-al Artillery, and Commander Hammet, of the Roj'al 
 l^&vj, amongst the number of casualties caused by the fire of 
 yesterday. Major C. S. Hemy, of the Royal Artillery, received 
 a severe wound, and has had his right arm amputated ; he is, I 
 am rejoiced to add, doing well. 
 
 I enclose the list of casualties. 
 
 I have, &c., 
 
 James Simpson, 
 
 General Commanding. 
 Tlie Lord Fanmure, d-c. Ac. <fc. 
 
 Before SEBASTorOL,, Augiist 21. 
 
 My Lord, — In my despatch of the 18th instant, I was unable 
 to give as detailed an account of the part taken by the Sardinian 
 troops, in the battle of the Tchernaya, as I could have wished. 
 I have since received General La Marmora's report, of which I 
 have now the honour to send you a copy. 
 
 The killed and wounded of the Russian army exceed, if any- 
 thing, the number I originally stated. An armistice was granted, 
 to enable the enemy to bury the dead, and vast quantities were 
 carried away. 
 
 The fire from the batteries of the Allies has been very effective, 
 and the result attained has been suSicient to enable the works 
 against the place to progress satisfactorily. 
 
 I beg to enclose the list of casualties to the 19th instant. 
 
 Major M'Gowan, 93rd Highlanders, who was reported by me as 
 missing, in my despatch of the 11th August, I have since ascer-
 
 72 LINE OF THE TCHEKNAYA. 
 
 tained was attacked whilst posting his sentries in advance of the 
 trenches, wounded severely, and made prisoner. 
 I have, &c., 
 
 Jamks Simpson, 
 
 General Commanding. 
 The Lord Panmure, d-c. &c. dc. 
 
 [^Translation.^ 
 
 Sardinian Army. — IlEAn-QuARTEns or the Expeditionary 
 Forces in the East, Kadikoi, Aii/just 17. 
 
 Sir, — The interest which you are so kind as to evince in 
 everything relating to the Sardinian Expeditionary Army makes 
 it imperative upon me to inform your Excellency of the share 
 taken by the troops under my command in the engagement on 
 the Tchernaya yesterday. 
 
 Upon receiving the report of Colonel Dessaint, attached to 
 the French head-quarters, which you were good enough to com- 
 municate to me on the evening of the day before yesterday, and 
 by which we were led to expect very shortly an attack on the 
 line of the Tchernaya, I at once gave orders that my troops 
 £ihould be under arms yesterday morning at an earlier hour than 
 usual. 
 
 At break of day our outposts stationed on the Mamelon 
 which commands Tchorgoun were enveloped in a well-sustained 
 fire of artillery, which proceeded from three batteries posted 
 opposite to the breastworks by which our outposts were covered, 
 and on the two Mamelons further to the right, which form the 
 two banks of the Souliou. They were at the same time 
 vigorously charged by three Russian columns, which came on 
 "with fixed bayonets, and attacked our breastworks in front and 
 rear. The men composing these columns carried ladders with 
 them to scale the parapets. The preconcerted signal of alarm 
 was immediately given ; and the troops took up the positions 
 ivhich had been assigned to them in anticipation of this attack. 
 
 I begged his Excellency Hosmau Pasha to bring up the 
 Turkish troops which were stationed furthest off; and I ordered 
 the 4th battalion of Riflemen (Bersaglieri) to the support of our 
 outposts, which only consisted of three companies, in order that 
 these latter might be enabled to hold their ground as long as 
 possible, and thus give us time to complete our arrangements. 
 
 Attacked in the rear by the enemy's artillery, and charged by
 
 SARDINIAN ACCOUXT. 73 
 
 three columns of infantry, the outposts, after an hour's firing;-, 
 fell back, the reinforcements I had sent to them greatly facili- 
 tating their retreat. 
 
 At the same time I made every effort to silence the enemy's 
 guns. In this endeiivour I was assisted by the Turkish held- 
 pieces from Alsou, and by the English batterj^ with which you 
 were good enough to reinforce us. Several of the enemy's am- 
 munition wagons exploded between seven and eight o'clock. 
 
 In the mean time the Kussians had stationed fresh batteries 
 near the centre of their position, and had opened a most effective 
 iirc of artillerj^ on the tete-de-pont at Traktir, and on the French 
 positions on our left. A column of inlantrj-, under cover of this 
 fire, attacked the ]\Iamelon, which formed the extreme right of 
 General d'Herbillon's division. The first column had crossed 
 the Tchernaya, and surmounted the steep ascent of the Mamelon 
 in spite of the fire of the tirailleurs, when it was vigorously 
 attacked by the French troops in support, and hurled back, 
 broken and disordered, into the Tchernaya. 
 
 As I considered, from the subsequent dispositions of the 
 enemy's forces, that he only intended to make a demonstration of 
 artillery before our position, while he concentrated his infantry 
 chieflj^ on the extreme right of the Third Division (Faucher's), 
 on which point a second column was now advancing, I ordered 
 a portion of my 5th Brigade, under the command of General 
 Mallard, to march to the support of the right wing of the 
 French, and I posted two of our batteries in a position from 
 whence they could maintain an oblique fire upon the Eussians. 
 At the same time I requested the English cavalry to move 
 down into the plain to be in readiness to charge. I had given 
 similar orders to my own cavalry. 
 
 When the soldiers of mj' 5th Brigade arrived at the Mamelon 
 they found that the enemy's attack had been already repulsed ; 
 but the fii-e of the two batteries of the 2nd Division (Troths) 
 appeared to do great execution on the 2nd Russian column, 
 which, checked in front by the French troops, and harassed in 
 the rear by the fire of our batteries and the musketry of our bat- 
 talions, fell back in the greatest disorder. I then ordered some 
 of our battalions to advance under cover of the Eifiemen (Ber- 
 saglieri), but I was requested to countermand this movement. 
 
 The enemy repulsed at all points commenced his retreat. 
 One column, Avhich appeared to me to consist of a division, 
 retreated by the valley of the Souliou. Another division, the
 
 74 LINE OF THE TCHER>fAYA. 
 
 one wliich had attacked our outposts and the French right in 
 the morning, fell hack upon the zig-zag Mamelon; while a 
 third division followed the road which leads to Mackenzie's 
 farm. 
 
 I took advantage of this state of things to re-occupy with my 
 troops the zig-zag Mamelon; in which design I succeeded perfectly, 
 in spite of the imposing force which the enemy still retained on that 
 point. In the mean time, three battalions of Turkish troops ad- 
 vanced into the Valley of Tchorgoun, to replace the battalion of 
 Cialdini's brigade, which was occupying the heights of Karlooka. 
 
 Later in the day, I crossed the Tchernaya with four squa- 
 drons, and marching in a parallel line with the zig-zag Mamelon, 
 came upon the old Russian redoubt, whence I could easily dis- 
 cern, at a little distance before us, a very fine array of regulai' 
 cavalry, supported by horse artillery. It was distributed in 
 twelve separate bodies, and must have been composed of at least 
 fifty squadrons. This cavalry did not fall back on Mackenzie's- 
 road till the whole of the infantry and artillery had effected their 
 retreat. 
 
 The losses sustained by our troops, a portion only of whom 
 was engaged, Avere very inconsiderable. They amount to 
 about two hundred men placed Itors de combat; and I impute 
 the fact of our not having lost more men mainly to the 
 works with which Ave fortified our position, and to the batteries 
 of heavy guns which you were so obliging as to lend ns for theu* 
 defence. It is, however, m}^ painful duty to announce to yoiu' 
 Excellency that Count Montevecchio, the General commanding 
 the 4th Brigade, is mortally Avounded ; a ball passed through 
 his chest. 
 
 Pi'ay accept, General, the assurance of my high consideration. 
 
 The General Commanding-in-Chief the 
 Sardinian Expeditionary Forces, 
 (Signed) La IVIaemoea. 
 
 To 7iis ExceJkncy the General 
 Commandimj - in - Chief iJie 
 Enijlish Army. 
 
 The battle had been raging for an hour ere I reached the line 
 of the French works at Fedukhine. From the higli grounds 
 over which I had to ride, the Avhole of the battle- (leld Avas 
 marked out by rolling columns of smoke, and the irregular
 
 SPLENDID VIE^y OF THE BATTLE. 75 
 
 tbiclj puffs of the artQlery. All oiu- cavalry camps were de- 
 serted ; but the sun played on the helmets and sabres of the 
 solid squadi'ons, -which were drawn up about two miles in 
 advance, and just in rear of the line of hills which the French 
 and Sardinians were defending, so as to be ready to charge the 
 Eussians, should they force the position. The French cavalry, 
 chasseurs, hussars, and two regiments of dragoons, were on our 
 left. Our light and our heavy cavalry brigades were formed 
 in two heavy masses, supported by artillery in the plain behind 
 the second Fedulchine hillock, and seemed in splendid case, and 
 eager for the fray." The allies had, in fact, not less than 6000 
 very fine cavalry that day in the field, but they were held in 
 check, "for fear " of the artillery, which there is no doubt they 
 could have captured, in addition to many thousands of prisoners, 
 if handled b}' a Seidlitz or a Murat. But the French general 
 would not permit a charge to be executed, though French and 
 English cavalry leaders were alike eager for it, and so this 
 noble force was rendered ineffective. 
 
 Having passed by the left of the cavaby, I gained the side 
 of the hill j ust as a large body of French troops crowned it at 
 the^«.? double, dej)loyed and at once charged down towards 
 the aqueduct, where a strong column of Eussians, protected by 
 a heavy fire of artillery on the crest of the ridge, were making 
 good their ground against the exhausted French. This new 
 regiment attacking them with extraordinary impetuosity on the 
 flank, literally swept the Eussians like flies into the aqueduct, 
 or rolled them headlong down its steep banks ; and at the same 
 moment a French battery on my right, belonging, I think, to 
 the Imperial Guards, opened on the shattered crowd with grape, 
 and tore them into atoms. This column was the head, so to 
 speak, of the second attack on the lines, and emerging through 
 the flying mass, another body of Eussian infantiy, with levelled 
 bayonets, advanced with great steadiness towards the aqueduct 
 once more. As far as the eye could see towards the right, 
 the flat caps and grey coats were marching towards the allied 
 position, or detaching themselves from the distant reserves, 
 which were visible here and there concealed amid the hills. 
 As the French battery opened, a Eussian battery was detached 
 to answer it, and to draw off their fire ; but cur gallant allies 
 took their pounding with great gallantry and coolness, and 
 were not diverted for a moment from their business of dealing 
 with the infantry column, the head of wlrkii was completely
 
 76 LINE OP THE TCHEKNAYA. 
 
 Icnocked to pieces in two minutes. Then the officers halted 
 it, and tried in vain to deplo}' th(?m — the column, wavering 
 and wriirglinf^ like a great serpent, began to spread out from 
 the farther extremity like a fan, and to retreat towards the 
 rear. Another crashing volley of grape, and they are Hying 
 over the plain. And now there breaks liigh over all the 
 roar of battle, some new thunder. Those are the deep angry 
 voices of the great English heavy battery of 18-pounders and 
 32-pounder howitzers, under Mowbra}^ wliich search out the 
 reserves. These guns were placed far away on my right, near 
 the Sardinians, and it is acknowledged by all that they did 
 good service this eventful day. The advance I had just wit- 
 nessed was the last effort of the enemy. Their infantry rolled 
 in confused masses over the plain on the other side of the 
 Tchernaj'a, was pursued by the whole fire of the French 
 batteries and of the 8-inch English howitzers in the Sardinian 
 redoubt, and by a continuous and well-directed fusillade, till 
 they were out of range. Their defeat was announced by 
 the advance of their cavalry, and by the angry volleys of 
 their artillery against the positions of the allies. Their 
 cavalry, keeping out of range, made a very fair show, with 
 lances, and standards, aud sabres shining brightly — but beyond 
 that they did nothing — and, indeed, they could do nothing, 
 as we did not give them a chance of action. The Russians 
 were supported by guns, but they did not seem well placed, 
 nor did they occupy a good position at any time of the fight. Tho 
 infantry formed in square blocks in the reai* of this force, and 
 then began to file otf towards the Mackenzie-road, and the 
 Prench rocket battery opened on them from the plateau, and, 
 strange to say, reached them several times. It was about 
 eight o'clock when their regular retreat commenced, and the 
 English cavalry and artillery began to retire also at that hour 
 -to their camps, much discontented, because they had had no 
 larger share in the honours of the day. 
 
 The march of the Russians continued till late in the day — 
 their last column gained the plateau about two o'clock. It 
 must have been a terrible march for them — not a drop of water 
 to be had ; and even when they gained their arid camp it is only 
 too probable that they had nothing to drink ; indeed, the 
 prisoners told us, the men were encouraged to the attack by 
 being told that if they gained the Tchernaya they would have 
 abundance of water — the greatest inducement that could be held
 
 THE RUSSIANS FIRE ON THE WOUNDED, 77 
 
 out to them. I rode down towards the tctc-de-pont. In order 
 to get a good view of the retreat, I descended to the bridge, 
 v;hich was covered with wounded men. Just as I gained tlie 
 centre of it, a volley of shells was pitched right upon it, 
 and amid the French, who, with their usual humanity, were 
 helping the wounded. Some burst in the shallow stream, the 
 sides of which were crowded with wounded men — others killed 
 poor wretches who were crawling towards the water — one in 
 particular, to whom I had just an instant before thrown a 
 sandwich ; others knocked pieces out of the bridge or tore up 
 the causeway. As the road was right in the line of fire, I at 
 once turned off the bridge, and pulling sharp round, dashed 
 under an arch just as the battery opened on us a second time, 
 and there I remained for about ten minutes, when the Russians 
 seemed ashamed of themselves, and gave us a respite for a few 
 moments. The next time they fired was with round shot ; and 
 as I retreated up the road, to obtain shelter behind one of 
 the hills, one of these knocked a wounded Zouave to pieces 
 before my eyes. In the rear of the hill there was a party of 
 about 500 Russian prisoners en bivouac. jMany of them were 
 wounded ; all were war-worn, dirty, ill-clad, some in rags, 
 others almost bootless. The French sentries who guarded them 
 seemed to commiserate the poor fellows, but two or three of 
 their own officers, who sat apart, did not look at them, but 
 smoked their cigars with great nonchalance, or talked glibly to 
 the French officers of the fortune of war, <fec. 
 
 In a short time I returned to the pout, and saw General 
 Simpson and a few staff-officers descending from the Sardinian 
 position, whence they had watched the battle. They were on their 
 way to head-quarters, but Captain Colville, always of an 
 inquiring turn of mind, turned back with me, and we rode over 
 the bridge. The French were, however, obdurate, and would 
 not let us cross the tete-de-pont, as we were en pleuri poHee of 
 the guns posted behind a white scarp on a hillock on the opposite 
 side. We could see that the Sardinians had recovered their old 
 ground, and occupied the height from which their advanced 
 posts were driven early in the day. Further, we could see the 
 Russian cavalry, but the great mass of infantry was in full 
 retreat ; and at nine o'clock the road to j\Iackenzie fiirm was 
 thronged with a close column of thirst^-, foot-sore, beaten 
 Russians. The aspect of the field, of the aqueduct, and of the 
 river, was horrible beyond description ; — the bodies were closely
 
 78 LINE OF THE TCHERNATA. 
 
 packed in parties, and lay in files two and tliree deep, where the 
 grape had torn through the columns. For two daj's the bodies 
 rotted on the ground which lay beyond the French lines, and 
 the lirst Eussian burying party did not come down till the 
 18th, when the stench was so very great, that the men could 
 scarcely perform their loathsome task. Eead died early in the 
 battle ; and the Russians lost every officer in command of an 
 attacking column. Their total loss was, we estimated, at from 
 12,000 to 15,000 men. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Effects of throe days' fire — Rumours of an assault — Preparations — Supe- 
 riority of the Encjlish fire over that of the French — Loss sustained by 
 the Englisli during the bombardment — Rumoured discontent among 
 the Russians — Questions put by tlie jirisoncrs taken at the 'Ichernaya — 
 Russian loss — Altered appearance of tlie Rtdan and the MaLakholf — 
 Clever })lan of the Kaval Brigade — Rumours of another attack on the 
 line of the Tchernaya — The French soon make themselves at home — 
 LTnfair promotion — Arrivals — Indisposition of Sir Harry Jones — The 
 French and Russians open a furious fire — Rapid turn-out of the troops 
 — Fruitless efforts of the Russians to throw shot into the English camp. 
 
 Camp befoue Sebastopol, August 20. 
 
 The fire which opened at daybreak on Friday continued the 
 whole of Saturday and yesterday, but slackened this morn- 
 ing by order. I should not wonder if it were to be again in- 
 creased to-night, in order to favour the progress of the French 
 works. This has already been considerable, and the French 
 seem duly sensible of the service our cannonade has rendered 
 them. It has enabled them, I heard a French officer say on 
 Saturday evening, to do in four hours what they previously 
 could not have done in fifteen days. I believe that the three 
 da3's' fire has enabled them to do what they otherwise would 
 probably never have done. Their foremost parallel, which had 
 been begun at the two ends, could not be completed, owing to 
 its near proximity to the MalakholF. As soon as a gabion was 
 put up, a storm of projectiles was hurled against it and the 
 Avorking party. This dhhculty has now been surmounted, and 
 the extremities are connected. I understand that good progress 
 was made last night, and that they are enlarging the trench so 
 as to admit of its containing more men. Opinions are divided 
 as to the plan of attack that Avili be observed. Some think that
 
 RUMOURS OF AN' ASSAULT. 79 
 
 without pushing their works beyond the point at which they 
 have now arrived, the French will give the assault ; and a report 
 is prevalent in oiu* camp that a British division (the Light, it is 
 rumoured) wUl share with them the peril and honour. Others 
 suppose that they will sap up to the Malakhotf itself, blow ap 
 the parapet, and assault amid the confusion consequent on the 
 explosion. AH this is mere conjecture. As far as I have had 
 opportunity of obsei-ving, I think the French incline to the latter 
 plan. On the other hand, the distance is now so greatly re- 
 duced — is, indeed, so very short — between the French trenches 
 and the Bussian defences, that a vigorous assault ought to 
 succeed, unless, indeed, the more desponding anticipations that I 
 have heard indulged in, as to the impregnability of the internal 
 defences of the Malakhoff, should be even more than realized. 
 At the same time, we must not be misled as to the probable 
 amount of resistance by the fact that, since the fii'st day of the 
 bombardment, the Russian fire from the iMalakholf, and, indeed, 
 from all parts of their line, has been weak, as if their giuis had 
 been silenced by ours, and that the works appear to have 
 suffered considerable damage. Mute though the ilalakhoff may 
 be, it would not be surprising if, were we to assault to-day, our 
 storming parties should find that every gun could still speak 
 loud enough. The dearly-bought experience of the 18th of 
 June must not be thrown away. On the other hand, our fire 
 has been both severe and well directed. That of the French 
 has been partial, and much less strong ; and this has excited a 
 good deal of comment and conjecture : some saying that there 
 has been a misunderstanding, and that the French did not know 
 they were expected to back us with their batteries. It is im- 
 probable, however, that there has been any mistake. Persons 
 there may be — perhaps themselves too hasty and impetuous — 
 disposed to tax General Simpson with over-great deliberation ; 
 but he is generally admitted to be a safe man, not likely to fall 
 into misunderstandings ; and one who would be quite sure of 
 what was to be done before attemptitig to do it. He certainly 
 keeps his own counsel extremely well, and nothing has transpu'ed 
 of the plan which it is presumed he has formed for serious opera- 
 tions at a very early date. 
 
 Our loss during the bombardment has not been heavy. It 
 was incurred chiefly on Friday, since which day no officers have 
 been hit, to the best of my knowledge, and not many men. For 
 hours together, the Russian fire has been very slack, an occa-
 
 80 LINE OF TUE TCHEUNAYA. 
 
 sional shot here and there. They seem to consider it a point of 
 honour to go oil" in great stj'le on the first daj^; alter whicli they 
 run their guns behind the parapets, cover them with sand-bags, 
 and allow us to blaze away without malcing frequent reply. There 
 are reports that their men fight very unwillingly, and that there is 
 great difiiculty in getting them forward. This did not appear to 
 be the case with those who fought the other day at the Tchernaya, 
 but they were well primed with brandy, and, moreover, com- 
 prised divisions that had just arrived. Many of the battalions 
 who attacked that day, had not been into Sebastopol at all. So 
 at least we learn from the prisoners. That those who have 
 long been defending the place should be discouraged would not 
 be surprising, but the chief evidence we have is furnished l)y a 
 Polish officer, who came over a day or two ago. Some of the 
 prisoners taken at the Tcliernaya are said to have inquired what 
 had been the result of the attack on our trenches, and, on hear- 
 ing that none had been made, to have expressed their surprise, 
 as one had been intended simultaneously with that upon our 
 riglit on the 16th inst. It is believed or supposed, that the un- 
 willingness of the troops prevented the intended co-operation 
 •which was to have been in the shape of a sortie against our right 
 and left attack. All these conjectures, suppositions, and beliefs, 
 must be taken for what they may be worth, which is often little 
 enough. It would not be at all surprising, certainly, if the 
 Russians were discouraged, heartily wearied of their protracted 
 defence, in which they gain no ground, nor have the least chance 
 of gaining any, for our position is really impregnable, and so 
 they must begin to consider it, after the severe repulse of their 
 recent attack on what probably they considered one of its weakest 
 points. To return, however, to our own loss in the three days* 
 bombardment. The infornnxtion I have obtained convinces me 
 that it does not exceed 200, or, at most 250 men hors de combat 
 beyond the usual average daily loss in the trenches. This is 
 very little, especially if we bear in mind that the Russian fu-e 
 on the first day was really extremely violent. As to other 
 damage, one or two batteries of our left attack suffered a little, 
 as I told you in my last ; our right scarcely anything. As 
 regards the enemy, we may reasonably hope, Avithout reckon- 
 ing too confidently, that we have punished him pretty severely. 
 Although earthwork's take a divil of hammering before they 
 show its marks, both the Eedan and Malakhoff* present a very 
 battered appearance. We have, of course, no means of ascer-
 
 A DARING MANCEUVRE. 81 
 
 taining the Kussian loss of men. It is believed they sustained 
 a very considerable one on Saturday night. Their fire became 
 extremely brisk on that evening. Our people kept up the 
 musketry against the proper right and the curtain of tlie 
 ]\Ialakhotf to protect the French workmen, and shells and 
 bouquets of shells were flying all along the lines from right to 
 left — very pretty to look at, but unpleasant to meet. The night 
 was dark, and the only light, save that of the burning fuses 
 which crossed each other in curves against the black sky, and 
 that of the flashes from the rifles, proceeded from some carcasses 
 whicli the French threw from time to time, in order to see what 
 the enemy was about. The Russians were numerous in the 
 Iledau, intending a sortie, and I believe some of them did 
 venture out, but they were received with such volleys from the 
 Quarries that they qvuckly retired ; and then our batteries threw 
 into the Redan a shower of shells, which must have had a 
 murderous eifect among the throng of Muscovites. The aflair 
 was brief; the volleys of musketry were very sharp indeed, and 
 were taken up, more or less, along the whole line. There was 
 also extremely heavy firing on the loft. Altogether the evening 
 was an exciting one, and the consumption of ammunition must 
 have been considerable. 
 
 At sunset on Saturday- evening a party of the Naval Brigade, 
 commanded by Lieutenant Gough, dragged a 68-pounder up to 
 JS^o. 11 battery left attack. Jack hauled away with his usual 
 good-will and alacrity. The Russians fired at him as he went 
 up, but he reached the battery without casualty, and the gun 
 was put in position. The next morning trial was made of it 
 in the presence of Captain Keppel, and it was found to bear 
 pei-fectly on the mole-head and on the bridge across the 
 creek. The mole-head is a sort of landing-place at the left- 
 hand corner of the creek, where it enters the main harbour, 
 and is used by the Russians to land their stores from the 
 opposite side. They will be obliged to land them elsewhere in 
 future. 
 
 I understand that the Russians have been observed moving 
 ahout the heights beyond the valley of the Tchernaya, and it 
 would not be surprising if another attempt were made ere 
 long. They will find us all prepared — the English ai'my full 
 of fight, the French and Sardinians elated with their recent 
 triumph, and the last animated with that additional confidence 
 ivhich the consciousness of having behaved gallantly and proved 
 
 VOL, II. G
 
 82 LINE OF TIIK TCIIERNATA. 
 
 themselves worthy of their allies cannot fail to give them. The 
 conviction that wo shall render a very handsome account of the 
 Eussians whenever they think fit to attack us does not prevent 
 our taking proper precautions, and preparing for their reception. 
 The whole of the French Imperial Guard, which was away to the 
 left, where it could be of no use, was ye.sterday marched over to 
 this plateau, and encamped beyond the French semaphore, and 
 all along the slightly elevated ridge that overlooks the valley of 
 the Tchernaya. I do not know the numerical strength of either 
 the infantry or artillery of the Guard, but they form a very 
 large body of men, and fine-looking soldiers they are. There 
 are nine regiments of infantry and some battalions of Cliasseurs, 
 which compose a strong force ; but I did not see them march 
 up, and opinions vary so mucli here, that even some French 
 officers whom I asked would not venture an estimate of their 
 numbers. I walked round the edge of the plateau yesterday 
 afternoon, and. they were all snugly established, and had set up 
 their kitchens, composed of a few fi'agments of rock and big 
 stones, and, while some strolled about picking up the scanty 
 sticks and roots for fuel, others skimmed the marmites, some of 
 which emitted an extremely savoury odour. The French are 
 certainly famous fellows for settling themselves down in an 
 instant, and making themselves at home wherever they may be 
 placed. 
 
 The vacanc}'^ occasioned by the death of Commander Ham- 
 met, of the " Albion," is filled up, I understand, by the pro- 
 motion of Lieutenant Pasley, of the " Royid Albert," who is 
 thus put over the heads of at least five or six lieutenants of the 
 Naval Brigade, lieutenants of ten years' standing, or even more, 
 :md who liave now passed eight months in the trenches and been 
 in four bombardments. This needs no comment from me ; but 
 it may be thought to require explanation from those who ordain 
 and sanction a system of preference, which, to persons uninitiated 
 in the mysteries of naval promotion, must seem unjust. In one 
 point of view, it is an invidious task to draw public attention to 
 such cases as this ; but it should always be iinderstood that no 
 slur is intended to be cast on the person preferred. Lieutenant 
 Pasley may be a most mxcritorious officer, but one naturally feels 
 curious to become acquainted with the services that entitle him 
 to walk over his seniors, who for two-thirds of a j'ear have been, 
 engaged in actual and severe warfare, have been decimated 
 by Eussian shot, and have taken their full share of hardships
 
 A SUDDEN TUKNOUT. 83 
 
 probably unparalleled in the history ox war since the campaign 
 of 1812. 
 
 Major Henry, of the Artillery, who lost his arm the other 
 day, is, I am happy to say, going on very favourably. Major 
 Napier, of the Laud Transport Corps, is gone home on sick 
 leave. A cargo of ice has arrived for the hospitals, and ten tons 
 are to be brought up for each division of the army. The 
 " Simoom" has arrived with 420, and the " Barraclcpore" with 
 300, of the Army Working Corps. These 720 men form the 
 bulk of the corps, and will immediately proceed to work under 
 the direction of the chief superintendent, Mr. Doyne. They are 
 to repair the railway (" re-make" would be a suitable word as 
 regards a great part of it), and construct a road from head-quarters 
 to Ealaklava. Sir Harry Jones has also ordered that they 
 should take the direction of the supply of water for the camp. 
 It is to be hoped they will find means of increasing it, and also 
 of causing a portion of it to flow to an easier distance than that 
 at which some of us are compelled to seek it. Sir Harry Jones 
 has been suffering severely from sciatica, but is now much 
 better. 
 
 Auf/ust 21. 
 
 Yesterday afternoon, between five and six o'clock, the whole 
 of the French batteries on the left suddenly opened a furious fire, 
 to which the Russians warmly replied. General Pelissier, in his 
 open carriage, with his aides-de-camp and usual hussar escort, 
 passed through the English camp and went up to Cathcart's-hill. 
 The fire lasted until nightfall, and then diminished. During 
 the night there was not much firing. At midnight it had 
 almost ceased, and one saw but an occasional shell in the air. 
 At two A.M. orders came for our army to turn out. This was 
 rapidly done ; the troops moved to the front, to their usual posi- 
 tions in such cases, and remained there imtil daylight. It is 
 now very early in the morning, and I have not yet been able to 
 ascertain the motives of the alerte. It appears, however, that 
 the French turned out before we had orders to do so, and that 
 then a line of telegraphic lights was observed in the Eussian 
 positions, commencing at Sebastopol, and running along the 
 Inkermann heights. It is said that the French got under arms 
 in consequence of observing a Russian force in motion on the 
 heights in question. Various rumours are abroad as to itj 
 object, but none that appear to me worth repeating. From tha 
 present aspect of affairs, and notabl^^ from the change of place of 
 
 G 2
 
 84 LIXE OF THE TCIIERNAYA. 
 
 the Imperial Guard, it seems probable that the French Avill 
 operate particularly on the Tchoruaya line, where they tlie other 
 day achieved so brilliant a success, and that the English will 
 form the main force to be opposed to an attack proceeding ironr 
 the town. The result of the action of the Tchernaya ought to 
 ■convince the Eussian commanders that it is in vain for them to 
 iissume the aggressive ; but the arrival of fresh troops doubtless 
 inspires them with new hopes. Some believe that, disheartened 
 by the protracted siege and hopeless of the allies desisting from 
 it, they are likelj'- to stake everything on a desperate coup. To 
 this is to be opposed the opinions of the less sanguine, who 
 doubt that the besieged suffer so much, in various ways, as has 
 been reported, who think that their determination is unshaken, 
 and the jMalakhoif not to be taken. Between the two opinions 
 it is safest to steer a middle course. 
 
 12 O'CLOCK. 
 
 The object of the Frencrh in opening fire on the left is still a 
 mystery in our camp, even in very high quarters. With 
 respect to the turn-out this morning, it appears that the French 
 gave us warning. The Russians were seen assembling towards 
 the right, apparently with a view of attacking the same posi- 
 tions from which they were repulsed on the 16th. They threw 
 up some rockets as signals, and retired. It is to be presumed 
 that they expected to catch us napping, and, on finding them- 
 selves mistaken, thought proper to abandon their design. 
 
 The enemy continues to throw shot at our camp, but they 
 fall short or on the outskirts, and the damage they do is so 
 trifling as not to be worth the ammunition expended. Yester- 
 day evening, during the firing on the left, they threw up 
 several to Cathcart's-hill. They are fired fi'om an immense 
 distance (the Garden Battery, it is believed), and of course at a 
 great elevation. The soldiers amuse themselves with digging 
 them out of the ground, into which they plunge to a considerable 
 depth.
 
 SIBGE OPERATIONS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Siege operations in the ascendant — Tlie Tchernaya an object of interest to 
 curiosity Iiuntcrs — 'I'lieir perseverance in carrying olT relics — Tlie 
 struggle on tlie Tchernaya — Its sanguinary character — The Kus.-ians 
 lircd upon their own men — Three Russian general oiticers found upon 
 tiie field — Operations of the Kussian army directed from St. Petersljurg 
 — The demonstration towards Baidar — Various speculations — The 
 Turks — lieports — Omar Pasha said to be going to Asia, and Erzeroum 
 captured by the Russians — General commendation of the behaviour of 
 the Sardinian troops in the recent battle — Their admirable coolness 
 and self-possession — The note of preparation — Probable results of a 
 Russian attack — Tlie capture of the south side would enable us to 
 operate in the field — Splendid condition of the troops. 
 
 Camp of the Allied Armies on the Tcheknata, August 21. 
 Since the affair of the 16th we, on our part, have again re- 
 lapsed into the former routine way. The Russians have 
 vanished from all sides, and the siege operations have again 
 monopolized, in great measure, the interest which the Tcheriiaj'a 
 line had attracted for one moment. There was, indeed, a report 
 that the Russians had an intention of renewing their attack, 
 but that the opening of the new batteries next morning upset 
 their plans, as they apprehended some operation of the allies 
 from that side. 
 
 The Tchernaya has become, in consequence of the late attack, 
 a point of attraction for all curiosity-seeking persons, whose 
 name is legion, in the allied armies. Officers and soldiers, 
 although numerous enough, are few in proportion to the mer- 
 chant sailors, suttlers from Balaklava and Kamiesch, and other 
 nondescript camp followers, who form a class of themselves, and 
 are as sure to appear after an action is over as vultures are. 
 Everything is acceptable. They have little chance of getting 
 hold of medals, amulets, crosses, and other more valuable spoil, 
 for these disappear marvellously ; but they are not particular. 
 The greatest mania seems to prevail for muskets — nevertheless, 
 cartridge boxes, riflemen's swords, bayonets, &c. are iiA^en faute 
 de mieux. But the getting of the arms is not always the most 
 difficult part of the business, it is the getting them away, for 
 there are gendarmes pi'owling about who confiscate all arms, 
 whether paid for or not, as, according to the regulations of the 
 French army, they ought to be collected on the battle-field by 
 the Artillery — a thing which is never done. There were some
 
 86 LIXE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 excellent rifles, with sword-bayonets, which were in gi'eat 
 request ; they were, as all valuable things usually are, picked 
 up mostly by the Zouaves, who certainly had the best right to 
 them, having won them by their bravery. The Zouaves sold 
 them, and the gendarmes took them away again, leaving the 
 purchaser free to single out the Zouave who sold the rifle, and 
 to get baclv his purchase-money. 
 
 The more the particulars of this affair become known, the 
 more it grows in importance. The ground where the attack 
 took place being extended and very much broken up, one could 
 not at first fully appreciate the amount of the loss of the Rus- 
 sians, but it is now officially known that the Pi-cnch alone have 
 2200 Russian womided and prisoners, the number of unwounded 
 prisoners amounting to 400. The collecting of the wounded 
 took nearly two days, and most likely there are still some of 
 them not discovered, among the bushes in the neighbourhood of 
 the river. For the burial of the dead an armistice was con- 
 cluded, during which the French buried all those on this side 
 of the river, while the Russians buried those in the plain beyond. 
 The number of the dead is not yet officially known, but the 
 accounts which I have heard vary from 1500 to 1700. Of 
 course the number of those buried by the Russians will 
 never be ascertained, but it is certain that their ambulances 
 were full of wounded. These must have fallen when the troops 
 formed and when they retired, and their number must be pro- 
 digious, for you could see large spaces cleared in the dense 
 columns by grape and shell; besides, the Russians fired with 
 grape into their own people from behmd. I heard so from 
 many people, and I saw it myself. The guns which had been 
 firing directly in front of the attack were silent during the 
 assault, but there were two or three guns behind, on a little 
 elevation of the ground, and when the Russians fled these 
 began to fire one after another. It was not that vigorous firing 
 which one would have naturally expected in such a critical 
 moment, had the guns been destined to play upon the French, 
 but a kind of slow, measured fii'ing, which I shoidd be at a loss 
 to explain otherwise than as a gentle admonition to advance. 
 
 Every one who saw the Russians . running back could not 
 doubt that they were thoroughly routed. The battlefield gives 
 an additional proof of this. The Russians are very particular 
 about carrymg away their wounded and officers, especially general 
 officers. In the late action three general officers were lound on
 
 THE ATTACK ORDERED BY THE CZAR. 87 
 
 •fclie field, one mortally wounded, and the two others dead. One 
 of the dead is said to have been General Bellegarde, who was 
 last yeai" in the Principalities. General Eead, who commanded 
 the leading columns of the attack, died of his wounds. Gort- 
 .schakoff was during the action at the observatory at Mackenzie's 
 Farm-. He is said to have given orders to retire before he 
 knew the result of the attack, because he guessed the result 
 from seeing the French tents still standing on the hillocks. 
 Could he have seen inside them, he would perhaps not have 
 given the order so quickly, for the tents alone stood, everything 
 else — stores, ammunition, &c. — had been removed. 
 
 It is confirmed on all sides that the attack took place at the 
 express order of the Emperor. There is a better chance of our 
 success if the strategical operations of the Russian army are 
 dictated from St. Petersburg. War has been compared to chess- 
 playing: there may be some truth in this, but the player is not 
 yet born who can plaj^ the game of war from a distance of 1000 
 miles with success. 
 
 When the attack was over, and the Russians began to retire, 
 everybody expected something from another side, but, when 
 nothing came, and the Russians, after a partial attack on our 
 centre, which, althoiigh violent enough, lasted not more than 
 two hours, fell back, the v/hole attack seemed incomprehensible. 
 It appeared incredible that a movement for which the Russians 
 were known to have been preparing so long should end thus, as 
 all kinds of suppositions arose that it was only a reconnaissance 
 in force, that the main attack was to have been from the Sebas- 
 topol side, &c. Now that it is (;onfirmed by the papers found and 
 by the prisoners that the attack was made at the express order 
 of the Emperor, from whom, as I v/rote you in my last, a letter 
 was read to the soldiers in the beginning of the action, the thing 
 explains itself The order was obeyed against the better con- 
 viction of him who had to execute it, and this latter seized the 
 first opportunity to draw back from an enterprise in the success 
 of which he had no faith. The loss of 6000 or 7000 men liors 
 de combat was qiiite sufiicient proof of obedience. 
 
 During the attack on the Tchernaya there was likewise a 
 demonstration towards Baidar. The French cavahy had retired 
 during the night preceding the attack and during the early part 
 of the morning, and had occupied the ridge on which Count 
 Ticrawsky's villa is situated at the entrance of the valley, while 
 the two battalions of infantry, wliich had been down for the
 
 88 LINE OF THE TCHERNAYA. 
 
 protection of the passes, retired on the hills ahove Biuk Mis- 
 koniia. Thej^ had scarcely gone off when two hundred Cossacl<s 
 came down into the valley and picked np everything the French 
 had left hehind them — a number of bullocks, some biscuits, rice, 
 and 140 loads of hay. Content with this plunder they retired 
 again to the heights. 
 
 Some changes have taken place in the commandership of the 
 French troops at the Tchernaya, General d'Herbillon com- 
 manded during the attack as senior general of division. Now, 
 as the Imperial Guard has been added as a reserve to the troops 
 on the Tchernaya, General Renaud de St. Jean d'Angely takes- 
 command of the whole as General d'un Corps d'Armee. 
 
 There is, besides, some talk of uniting the command of the 
 allied troops on the Tchernaya in one hand. Notwithstanding 
 the dilhculties which such a plan must naturally oiler, it would 
 be an excellent measure if it could be carried out. The whole 
 line from Eaidar to Inkermann is so long that even in the del'ence 
 of it rapid dispositions may become necessary, which can only 
 take place if one man command all along the line ; but this 
 bficomes even much more necessary if — as for instance, in the 
 late attack — the routed enemies ought to be pursued, or if an 
 offensive movement takes place on our side. With the best un- 
 derstanding rapid movements become impossible if they must be 
 combined among different commanders occupying different sides 
 of the battlefield, and, while the measure which should be taken 
 is being decided upon, the favourable opportunity is lost. 
 
 At any rate, there ought to be some arrangement as regards' 
 the Turks. When Omar Pasha left he gave his instructions to 
 Osman Pasha. As these instructions seem to be very narrow, 
 they throw serious impediments in the way whenever it becomes^ 
 necessary to use Turkish troops. Wliat an absurd state of 
 things, that a Commander-in-chi.ef should go away and leave 
 behind him such fettering instructions to his representative, who 
 has to act in concert with the other commanders, and who is 
 supposed to be independent. It is time that an end was put to 
 this interregnum. If the news is truo which arrived yesterday 
 from Constantinople, this will soon be the case. The news is 
 that j\Iehemet Ali Pasha, the brother-in-law of the Sultan, and 
 late Seraskier, is going to tako the command of the Turkish 
 army In the Crimea, and that Omar Pasha is going to Asia to 
 reorganize an army there. Together with this news, the report
 
 CONTEMPLATED ATTACK. 8^ 
 
 of the taking of Erzeroum by the Russians has arrived. I give 
 it 3'ou as I heard it. 
 
 Every one speaks with the greatest praise of the behaviour of 
 the Sardinian troops. Their artillery rendered important service, 
 partly bj' subduing the lire of the enemy's guns in the plateau 
 opposite, partly in (;rushing the columns of attack by taking- 
 them in flank. There was also a battery armed with English 
 position-guns, which kept firing at the Eussian artilleiy on the 
 plateau nearest to the plain. Scarcely a shot missed. The Sardinian 
 infantry drove back the Russian riflemen on the banks of the 
 river in the most gallant style. They advanced with the stea- 
 diness and precision of old troops, and made their evolutions 
 under the lire of the enemy with as much precision as if they 
 had been on parade. The Sardinians also followed up imme- 
 diately the retiring enemy, and took several hundred prisoners 
 and wounded. What struck me most in all the movements of 
 the Sardinian troops was that quiet self-possession which speaks 
 a great deal for their discipline and organization, they seemed to 
 be so well in hand. This is so much the more remarkable as 
 cholera and fever, which have been ravaging them since their 
 arrival, have been enough to demoralize the best army ; the 
 oi'ganizatiou and material which could withstand such a shock 
 must be admirable indeed. 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol, Jngust 24. 
 
 Orders were given this morning that no officer or man should 
 quit the camp. An attack is expected, and the army is on its 
 guard. Large bodies of Russians have been seen to issue from, 
 the town, and it is thought they meditate an onslaught upon the 
 Sardinians. It may possibly prove a false alarm, like many 
 others that we have lately had. On the 21st, on retu.rning to 
 camp from sending off my despatch, I found the troops nnder 
 arms. The enemy had been observed in motion on the heights 
 beyond the Tchernaya. Nothing came of it, nor of other similar 
 recent alarms, but the qtci vive is becoming our habitual state. 
 It is to be hoped this vigilance may not be relaxed at the 
 moment Avhen it is most needed. The general opinion seems to 
 be that the Russians will make a second attempt on the Tcher- 
 naya line, combined probably with attacks on other points. It 
 is thought they will come on in gTeat force, and it is therefore 
 desii-able we should have strong reserves in readiness, in order
 
 90 LIXE OP THE TCUERNAYA. 
 
 that tlie ultimate triumph, on which we confidently reclcon, may 
 not be limited to the recapture of positions snatched hy the first 
 heavy onset of overwhelming numbers. Such a result would 
 be less than what we have a right to expect should the Russians 
 risk a general attack, and should no greater be attained the 
 fault will be attributable to the dispositions taken. Such an 
 attack, promptly and vigorously met, ought to end in our wrest- 
 ing from the foe some solid advantage, perhaps even in the cap- 
 ture of the Malakhoir itself. Had we that, we should quickly 
 be masters of the Redan and the Little Redan ; it might take a 
 few days to vanquish the resistance offered by the inner line of 
 defence, but the issue of the contest, as regards the south side 
 of Sebastopol, would no longer be doubtful. If, as we have 
 some grounds for believing, the Russian troops are already con- 
 siderably demoralized, the loss of the ]\Ialakhoff might so dis- 
 com-age them as to throw the south side almost immediately 
 into our hands. Its capture and the destruction of the ships 
 wovild render a very large force — in itself a powerful and nume- 
 rous army — now employed in the trenches disposable for opera- 
 tions elsewhere. A portion of these troops might then, by the 
 aid of our fleet, be promptly conveyed to Eupatoria, where we 
 already have 20,000 of the best Turks. Suppose Ave sent off 
 40,000 men— say, 30,000 English and 10,000 Sardinians— leav- 
 ing the French to observe the north side of Sebastopol and keep 
 the enemy in check down here ; we should thus form an army 
 of between 50,000 and 60,000 effective soldiers, which would 
 give an excellent account of airy Russian army attempting to 
 retreat northwards. This plan I know to be considered by 
 officers of high rank and great military knowledge and experience 
 as perfectly feasible. We have abundance of transport, plenty 
 of cavalry could be sent, and such a battle might be fought, such 
 a victory obtained, as would eclipse the glories even of Alma 
 and of Inkermann ; for it is to be observed that even those per- 
 sons here who take the most desponding view of the prospects 
 of the siege are as confident as men can be of our army driving 
 before it in the field even very superior forces of the Russians.
 
 FALSE ALARMS. 91 
 
 CHAPTER XT. 
 
 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 False alarms — Preparations for a Eussian attack — Supineness of the Turks 
 — Immense consumption of gabions — Measures taken to keep up the 
 commuuications during the winter — New lines of railway — Position on 
 the Tchcrnaya — Crowded state of the town and harbour of Balaklava 
 — Collection of stores — New store-houses — Dissatisfaction caused by 
 Sir Vj. Lyon's promotions — Arrival of the 5(ith Kegimcnt at Balaklava 
 — Apprehensions of another attack by the Russians. 
 
 Camp on the Tchernaya, August 24. 
 Since I last wrote we have been kept in a state of continual 
 suspense. Nearly every night there has been an alarm, and 
 for every morning an attack has been predicted. Now suspicious 
 lights, construed into signals, were seen on the heights occupied 
 by the Eussians ; over the Tchernaya now unusual and inex- 
 plicable movements and concentrations of troops in large 
 numbers were observed ; now a deserter gave most minute infor- 
 mation about an attack to take place the next day ; and again a 
 Tartar came in in hot haste, warning the allies to be on their 
 guard against the formidable preparations of the enemy. The 
 consequence of all this was, that we had to sleep with only one 
 eye shut, in order not to be caught napping as we were last 
 time. Even this evening, while I am writing, the usual warn- 
 ing has again been given with more positiveness than ever. 
 The information about the intended attack goes into the 
 minutest particulars. The Eussians are said to be expecting 
 the arrival of two divisions of the Grenadier corps to-night, 
 and it is positively asserted that the latter arrived yesterday at 
 Bakshiserai. 
 
 Preparations have been made accordingly, and, if the Eussians 
 should venture upon another attack, they will meet at the oittset 
 with a resistance which will soon convince them that they have 
 far less chance now than last time, when their first fary was suc- 
 cessfully encountered by only 6000 French soldiers, and when 
 it was not even necessary to employ the reserves wbich came 
 up during the action. 
 
 But other preparations besides these are made for the re- 
 ception of the Eussians. Their last attack seems to have 
 convmced our gallant allies that, in a permanent position, in
 
 92 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 face of a strong force of the enemy, who may come down with 
 his battalions in a few hours during the night, slight field 
 fortifications are never de trop, as they afford a guarantee against 
 a surprise. The position of the French is for the most part of 
 great strength, and would joer se offer formidable obstacles to the 
 advance of the enemy. The steep hillocks which they occupy, 
 with the aqueduct at the foot of them, could scarcely be carried 
 by surprise ; but the bridge of Traktir is easily accessible, and 
 the open space through which the road to it leads, is w^eak on 
 account of the pi'esent shallow state of the Tchernaya, which is 
 nearly (^veiywhere fordable. Already where the line of the 
 river was occupied, and where it would still have formed a serious 
 obstacle to an advancing force, a small epaulement has been 
 constructed in front of the bridge, but this, under present circum- 
 stances, is of no use to the defenders, as it may be taken in 
 rear by the enemy's infantry, which can effect a passage at any 
 point. Consequently, since the late attack three redoubts have 
 been constructed, one on each side, and a third behind to enfilade 
 them ; all three are to be armed with guns. Their names are 
 Eaglan Redoubt, Bizot Redoubt (in honour of the fiiUen general 
 of Engineers), and La Eussoniere Redoubt (in honour of the 
 colonel of Artillery of that name, who fell on the 18th of 
 June). 
 
 These three new redoubts are not the only additional field- 
 woi-ks thrown up for the defence of the Tchernaya line. The 
 Sardinians have been likewise briskly occupied during the last 
 few days in strengthening their position on the right of the 
 French. Their works assume more and more the shape of an 
 intrenched camp, and every variation in the ground has been 
 taken advantage of to render them as strong as possible. The 
 hills about Kamara are particularly suited for fortified lines, 
 as they form down to the Tchernaya a chain of heights opening 
 on both sides in a basin towards the plain. 
 
 The Turks alone, who occupy the extreme right of our posi- 
 tion, and who have to guard the two roads leading from the 
 valley of Varnutka, have done nothing in the tahia line. In 
 vain did the Sardinian engineers throw out gentle hints about 
 the propriety of erecting a couple of epaulements, and point out 
 divers hills and heights peculiarly suited for a redoubt ; they 
 turned a deaf ear to all these suggestions, and, except the works 
 which had been previously thrown up by the Piedmontese, when 
 they held some of the positions which are now guarded by the
 
 A TURKISH FESTIVAL. 93 
 
 Turks, not a shovelful of earth has been turned up on this side 
 towards the enemy. This would seem so much the more sur- 
 prising, as the Turks had become notorious by their mania for 
 fortification, which the works on the Danube, at Kalafat, 
 Giurgevo, and Eupatoria show, if we did not remember that 
 every abuse is followed by a reaction. I suppose the Turks 
 are now under the influence of this. Perhaps they will get an 
 opportunity of showing to the world that they can tight as well 
 without f alias, as witli them. I should not be in the least 
 degree surprised at sucli a result were the threatened attadc of 
 the Russians to take place. If the Russians came down in force 
 to the valley of Eaidar, they would not only liave the WoronzoH" 
 and the upper road to advance by, but they could besides move 
 infantry as well as artillery over a bye path which leads from 
 Euyuk IMiskomia over the Tirkakaiari mountain ridge skirting 
 the left bank of the Tchernaya. This route would bring them 
 on the flank of the Turks. 
 
 In spite of the continued absence of Omar Pasha, I think 
 they would be well received, for the game would be simply to stick 
 to the position without manoeuvring, and in such a case, even 
 Osman Pasha, the commander ad interim, could scarcely fail sf 
 success. Yesterday the Turks celebrated their Korban Bairam, 
 and there was no end of sweetmeats and visiting. The solemnity 
 of the occasion seems to have acted powerfully on their religious 
 feelings : for in passing through their camp at the hours of 
 praver whole battalions might be seen going through their 
 prayers and prostrations. Each battalion has a space cleared 
 for prayer, which is provided with the few arrangements which 
 their simple worship requires. Some of them have only a stick 
 planted in a south-easterly direction ; but others have gone much 
 further, and have made enclosures of earth or wiclcerwork pulpits, 
 and in one place even a minaret has been erected in a most primi- 
 tive way — it consists of nothing but slender poles interwoven with 
 branches of brushwood. By coming in contact with Europeans 
 the Turks do not seem to have lost any of then* zeal for their 
 religion, and although no one is forced to take part in the prayers, 
 there are but few absentees from service, particularly in the 
 evening. 
 
 I mentioned in my last letter, that the French cavalry 
 division and the two battalions of infantry which had quitted 
 the valley of Baidar during the day of the attack, had returned 
 the same evening, and occupied their old position. As the Eng-
 
 94 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 lisli cavalry, which had previously held the post, did not return, 
 the French had to guard not only the road leading down from 
 Ozenbash, but likewise the Woi'onzoff road towards the sea. The 
 infantry made several reconnaiysances on the heights around as 
 far as the plateau leading to the Upper Belbek, but the}' did not 
 remain, in consequence of the want of water. They likewise 
 made excursions along the sea-shore, which is entirely deserted 
 nearly up to Yalta. However, there must be some apprehension 
 of an attack on this side, for I saw a portion of the Dragoons re- 
 turning this evening by the Woronzoff-road. The infantry has 
 very likely retired to the ridge separating the Baidar Yalley from 
 that of Varnutka, as they did last time. 
 
 Two companies of the English 89th Regiment are stationed 
 in the Varnutka valley, making gabions, for which there 
 is abundance of brushwood in the vicinity. They had been 
 "before near the Turkish camp, but were withdrawn a day or two 
 previous to the late attack ; the day after they went again to 
 Varnutka. Besides these English troops, there are the men of 
 three French batteries and a part of the French 62nd Regiment 
 of Infantry also emploj^ed preparing gabions. Moreover, every 
 day the Piedmontese and Turks furnish a number of gabions 
 to the French and English. The demand seems I'abulous. Every 
 day, rows of artillery waggons come to carry them away. I 
 hear the intention is to replace all the sandbags which had 
 been employed in the trenches by gabions, as the former are 
 quite rotten ; the works, which are daily extending, absorb a great 
 many of them, as it has been thought necessary, on account of 
 the proximity of the enemy's guns, to give the trenches the 
 breadth of three gabions. The gabions being aboiit half a metre 
 in diameter, six gabions are required for each metre by which 
 the trenches are advanced. 
 
 August 25. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the predictions and preparations, the 
 night has passed tranquilly, and without the slightest interrup- 
 tion. The beautiful moonlight relieved many of the hardships 
 of a night watch. There was no appearance of any movement 
 on the enemy's side. 
 
 There must have been a very strong apprehension of an 
 attack this morning, for at dawn the Highland divisions under 
 General Cameron arrived from the front at Kamara, and en- 
 camped close to the Piedmontese. E
 
 TWO NEW LINES OP KAIL. 93- 
 
 August 27. 
 As the balance of probabilities inclines to another winter in the 
 Crimea, it is worth while inquiring- what will be the probable 
 position of om- army after the ram sets in, and the country be- 
 tween Ualaklava and the camp rendered unfit for the passage of 
 waggons and beasts of burden. The railway corps is gone, and 
 out of that stout body of navvies who were ready, Vv-hilo in 
 England, to smash Russians with their pickaxes, but who 
 became most peaceably inclined directly they saw the enemy's 
 works, there now remains only Mr. Beatty. This gentleman 
 retains the charge of the railway, at the express request of 
 General Simpson, and Mr. Campbell, with two or tlu-ee of the 
 principal superiutendents and overseers of works, have remained 
 in his staff. The horses which were sent out from England, 
 diminished in numbers and overworked, are not equal to the 
 development of the capabilities of the line, but there is some 
 satisfactory proof of the earnestness and preooyance of the 
 allies respecting the wmter campaign of 1855. Mr. Beatty has 
 received instructions to form two new lines of railway — one from 
 the Col de Balaklava to Kamiesch, to be worked by horse-power; 
 the other from Kadikoi to the Woronzoff-road, near the Sardinian 
 position over Tchorgoma. Mr. Campbell is akeady engaged in 
 laying out the former line ; and Mr. Beatty is working hard at 
 the latter. The labour will be supplied by the French and Sar- 
 dinians. The line from Kadikoi to the Woronzoff-road will pass 
 over the plain of Balaklava, which is very soft and mudd}' in 
 winter, and the rail will be worked, it is hoped, by locomotive 
 power. The French, Sardinians, and Turks, will derive equal 
 advantages from it, and indeed their position would be utterly 
 untenable when the rain and snow once began without some per- 
 manent road. They will be nearly starved out if they have to 
 depend upon horse transport for supplies. Liprandi, with, the 
 whole country open behind him, and the command of the 
 Woronzolf-road, found that he could not hold the Tchernaya last 
 winter, and brmit his cantonment as scon as the river began to 
 rise. The allies will be able to maintain their advanced position 
 so far as the means of communication are concerned. They will 
 not be crowded together on the plateau, which is now as full of 
 tents as it can hold. But the great and all important question 
 arises, — how will Balaklava, itself the terminus of two lines of 
 railway, meet the requii-ements of nearly 100,000 men, and an
 
 96 THE LULL BEFORE THE STOEM. 
 
 incaleulatle numljcr of mules and horses ? Of course, no sane 
 person contemplates that our Government or military authorities 
 intend to expose our cavalry to another winter in the ■ basin of 
 Kadilioi, or on the hill tops of Karanyi, and so iar at least 
 as they are concerned, the requirements for food and 
 fodder will be diminished at Balaklava; but an enormous 
 increase in camp followers, suttlers, muleteers, land trans- 
 port corps, beasts of burden, and troops, has taken place since 
 last year, and these must all be fed. The Sardinians and 
 Turks will requii-e portions of our wharfage, of our stoi'eroom, 
 and of our narrow water-way in Balaklava. The harbour is 
 already as full as it can hold of shipping, although no great accu- 
 mulation of stores has been effected on shore. ]\lany vessels now 
 lie outside at anchor. The recollections of the 14th of November, 
 1854, forbid us to indulge ia the hope that they can do so in safety 
 dm'ing the winter. In order to avoid the dangers with which 
 we are threatened, Ave must, wliile the fine weather lasts, get 
 together ample stores of all kinds of food, and carry them as 
 far up to the front as possible, to fill our recently established 
 divisional depots, and to keep the central depot crammed. Thus 
 we shall be able to concentrate all our energy on roadmaking 
 and depot building wherever these may be required. Mr. Eeatty 
 as sangume that the original line of railway, Avith necessary 
 repairs, Avill last during the Avinter ; and 200 men of the Army 
 Works Corps have been detached to assist him in repairing and 
 reestablishing it. Some large iron sheds have been erected at 
 Balaklava to serve as stores for rice and sugar, and steps are 
 being taken to send up similar structures to each division of our 
 arm3^ The French are building most spacious stores all over 
 their camp. In spite of these preparations, our army Avill have 
 to undergo much suffering, unless roads are made, ten times 
 more storehouses erected, and Balaklava regulated with the most 
 scrupulous care. Admiral Fremantle deserves credit for his 
 naval administration, and he has been most ably assisted by 
 Captain Heath, Avho now retires, at his own request, I'rom the 
 harassing and responsible office to Avhich he Avas appointed upon 
 Captain Christie's dismissal. Ships are cleared out rapidly, 
 instead of being detained for months in harbour, Avith enormous 
 demurrage dues. A naval officer has been appointed, at 
 Admiral Fremantle's suggestion, to examine all ships as they 
 arrive, and to expedite their despatch after discharge of cargo. 
 It is his duty also to see tliat there is no unnecessary delay on
 
 PEOMOTIONS. 97 
 
 the voyage, and to make the transports as useful as possihlo to 
 the country. 
 
 Sir Edmund Lyons has just conferred the post, rendered vacant 
 by the death of Captain Hammett, on Lieutenant Pasley, his Fhig 
 Lieutenant, son of Sir J. Pasley, and lias thus placed him over 
 the heads of lieutenants, many of them senior in the service, who 
 have been serving in the trenches for months, while he has been 
 comfortably " doing nothinr/," as Flag Lieutenant of the 
 Admiral's ship. A reference to the Navy Lint will show the 
 hardship this inflicts upon many hardworking officers. No one 
 hlamcs Commander Pasley, who is an active and intelligent 
 othcer ; it is, however, most unjust to those who have borne 
 the toil and heat of the day, that he should he, for no special 
 merit of his own, but because he happens to he a friend of the 
 Admiral, promoted over their heads. Commander Pasley is 
 now serving for his farther promotion in the trenches. Lieu- 
 tenant Graham has, I believe, returned to England after a 
 brief sojourn in the rear of the batteries. He volunteered for 
 that service, as it is supposed he was not quite convinced of his 
 fitness for the duties of lieutenant on board ship, but the 
 anxiety of his family induced them to remove him from the 
 post of danger, and of honour. This is the on dit in the Naval 
 Brigade. 
 
 The 5Gth Regiment, which has just arrived off Balaklava, 
 and was under orders to proceed to Kertch, to relieve the 71st 
 Eegiment, is to land at once, with blankets, &c., as the enemy 
 seem preparing for another attack, either on Balaklava, by the 
 way of iJaidar, or on the position of the Tchernaya. 
 
 On the '25th August, General Simpson reconnoitered with 
 great care the position of the enemy in front of Balaklava, 
 which he was led to do in consequence of the continued reports 
 of the concentration of the enemy in that direction. They 
 certainly had amassed a considerable number of troops on the 
 Mackenzie Plateau at Taura and Korales, and had pushed for- 
 ward strong parties as far as Makoul. It is understood from 
 the spies that two divisions of the Grenadier's corps have been 
 sent down in light carts from Simpheropol to reinforce them. 
 The force on the right bank of the Tchernaya is obviously pre- 
 paring for an aggressive movement, and at the same time the 
 Russians are busy at an enormous line of earthworks on the 
 noi'th side, connecting all their defences from the sea to the 
 'Vv'^est Inkermann Lighthouse Hill. Their bridge of boats or 
 
 VOL. II. n
 
 98 THE LULL CEFOKE TIIK STORII. 
 
 pontoons from north to south, .across the road, is almost com- 
 pleted. It takes a course from the western cuive of Fort 
 iNicholas to the creek between Kachimoft" Battery and St. 
 Jlicliael's Fort. The fire at night is very heavj^ and our men 
 keep up a constant fusillade upon the Russian works at night, 
 in order to prevent their rcpiiiring their damaged parapets and 
 embrasures. This proceeding, of course, draws fire on our 
 trenches ; and from the 20th to the 23rd of August inclusive, 
 we have lost no less than 2 sergeants, 24 rank and file killed ; 
 8 officers, 8 sergeants, 168 ranli and file wounded — total 220 
 liors de combat. On the 20th, Lieutenant Home, 4Sth, was 
 contused on the shoulder ; Lieutenant Campbell, 72nd, slightly 
 wounded; Lieutenant McEarnet, 79th, ditto; Captain Dick- 
 son, R.A., ditto; — on the 21st, Lieutenant Smith, 28th, ditto; 
 ■ — on the 22nd, Lieutenant Campbell, Scots Fusilier (.ruards, 
 ditto ; Lieutenant Wield, 95th, severely ; on the 23rd, Lieutenant 
 de Winton, R.A., slightly. 
 
 The Highland Division has been ordered from the front to 
 Komura, and fifty guns and the cavalry at Kwangi have been 
 placed in reserve to meet the enemy in case of an attack. The 
 42nd Regiment, the 71st Regiment, the 79th Regiment, and 
 the 93rd Regiment, under Sir Colin Campbell, will be sui-e to 
 give a pretty good account of any force that may attack them. 
 The 56th Regiment arrived in fine order this Aveek, and it has 
 been placed on the strength of the 2nd Brigade of the First 
 Division. The bridge from the north to the south side of the 
 harbour was completed about the 26th, and the enemy use it 
 constantly for the conveyance of troops and stores. Of the latter, 
 large quaiitities seem to be moved to the north side from tlic 
 city. The casualties from the 24th to the 26th August were — 
 24 rank and file killed, 9 olhcers, 6 sergeants and 137 rank and 
 file killed, wounded, and missing. On the 24th, Major Warden, 
 97th, and Lieutenant Bigge, 23rd, were slightly, and Captain 
 J. F. Browne, R.E., was severely wounded. On the 25th, 
 Captain R. Drummond was dangerously wounded, and Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel Seymour, Scots Fusilier Guards, was severely 
 hit on the head by a piece of shell ; Lieutenant Laurie, 34th, 
 was slightly wounded the same day; and on the 26th, 
 Lieutenant Rous, of the 90th, and Captain Arbuthnot, R.A., 
 were wounded severely. From the 27th to the 30th August, 1 
 officer, 1 sergeant, and 20 rank and file were killed ; 6 officers, 
 4 sergeants, and 152 rank and file were wounded. On the 28th,
 
 CASUALTIES. 09 
 
 Captain Forbes, Grenadier Guards, was vory slightly wounded. 
 On the 2!)tli, Captain Farqnharson, Scotch Fusilier Guards, and 
 Major Graham, 41st Regiment, were severely wounded; and on the 
 30th, Captain Wolsley, ol'the 'JOtli, acting as Engineer, and Lieu- 
 tenants Ware and Brinkley, 97th, were severely wounded. The 
 last casualties occurred in the sortie in which the Russians in 
 force succeeded in driving out from the advanced trench a 
 Avorking party of the 97th. They were speedily repulsed with 
 loss by parties of the 23rd under Colonel Eunbury, and of the 
 77th under Captain Pechell. The latter gallant officer was 
 killed on the night of the 3rd of September in advance of the 
 fifth parallel. On the 4th, the 82nd Regiment disembarked 
 from Corfu, and relieved the 13th at Balaklava. The casualties 
 from 31st August to 2nd September were 1 officer, 1 sergeant, 
 22 rank and file killed ; 6 officers, 7 sergeants, 106 rank and file 
 wounded ; 1 officer, 1 rank and file missing. Captain Fraser, 
 95th, was killed on the 31st, and on the same night Lieutenant 
 Burningheim, of the 3rd Regiment, was slightly, and Lieutenant 
 Forbes, 30th Regiment, mortally wounded ; and Captain Ross, 
 of the Bufis, is missing. On 1st September, Lieutenant Price, 
 E.A., was slightly, and Lieutenant Cary, Rifle Brigade, was 
 severely wounded. On the 2nd September, Lieutenant Roberts, 
 R.A., and Captain Smith, 90th, v/ere slightly wounded. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Expectation of an attack — Casualties amongst English oflicers — Excdlcnt 
 condition of tlie Etiglisli Cavaliy — Measures taken to secure Baliiklava 
 against a surprise — Ifumours of peace — Curiou-: positions of tlie hoi^tila 
 armies — Danger of making tlie lirst move — Flying rumours respecting 
 famine, drought, and mutiny in Scbastopol — New batteries — Ceremony 
 of tlie investiture of tlie Order of the Bath — Appearance of the spec- 
 tators — M. Soyer commences operations as camp-cook — Tempting 
 dishes which he provided — Absence of the best scavengers, i.e.. the 
 vultures — The Highland brigade — Intercourse between the Highlanders 
 and the Piedmontese — Etficicncy of tlio English Cavalry — E;cpected 
 arrival of Omar Pasha from Constantinople — A campaign in Asia. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, Aicriiid 27. 
 
 The state of tension in which wewere kept during the greater pnrt 
 
 of last week, in daily and almost hourly expectation of an attack, 
 
 has been somewhat relaxed during the last twenty-four hours, 
 
 n2
 
 100 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 althoup:li eveiy precaution is still taken against surprise. On the 
 night between Friday and l^aturday our Commanders seem to 
 have felt very confident that something serious would occur; 
 everybody was afoot or in readiness to turn out at an instant's no- 
 tice, and dusty and disgusted enough some of the Staif appeared, 
 after knocking about all night in anticipation of a fight that did 
 not come oif. It was doubtless in consequence of tiie severe 
 extra duty thus entailed on oflScers, as well as men, that the 
 ceremony of the investiture of the Order of the Bath was 
 postponed iintil two o'clock to-day, when it is to take place 
 with due pomp at General Simpson's head-quarters. 
 
 The Highlanders having been countermanded from trench 
 duty on Friday evening, and marched over to Kamara at two 
 o'clock the next morning to support the Sardinians, the Guards 
 went to the trenches alone, and consequently the Light Division 
 remained there thirty-six hours, instead of twenty-four. The 
 Guards had two casualties among the officers — Colonel Francis 
 Seymour was wounded, though not seriously, and Captain 
 Drummond shot through the lungs. Hopes are entertained of 
 saving the latter otKcter's life, and it is one which, by his zeal, 
 energy, and courage he has rendered valuable to the country. 
 The gallant officer who was badly wounded at Inkermann was 
 adjutant of the Scots Fusileer Guards; but he went into the 
 trenches in his turn of duty, and last night, as he was posting 
 his sentries in front of the fifth parallel, a Kussian rifleman shot 
 him from the Ifediin ambuscade, as he stood on a mound 
 to take a view of the ground. Colonel Seymour is hit in the 
 head by a piece of a shell. This officer was wounded in 
 the hand at Inkermann. The Highland Division came 
 back to camp on Saturday, and returned to Kamara at night, to 
 remain there, as thej' expect, about a week. The 56th Eegi- 
 ment, about 800 strong, having arrived at Ijalaklava, were 
 detained a day or two on board ship, until their destination 
 should be decided upon. The original plan was to send them to 
 Kertch ; on Saturdiiy it was said they would go to Kamara; 
 but they have finally been annexed to the First Division. The 
 army continues to get under arms before daybreal:, cavalry and 
 all. Yesterchiy the latter arm turned out 2950 British sabres 
 and lances, and, had the necessity arisen, 500 or 000 more 
 could have been brought into the field. It is a pity that 
 active emplojnncnt cannot be found for this fine body of horse- 
 men, who assuredly need but the opportunity to distinguish
 
 HUMOURS OF PEACE. lOl 
 
 themselves, and to turn to account the courage winch flashed 
 forth so hrightly on the plahis ol' Balaklava. 
 
 Although many here have been disposed to treat as idle 
 rumoui-, and even to turn into ridicule the reports that the 
 Eussiaus meditated an attack upon Bahilclava, it would appear 
 that this danger has not been disregarded at head-quarters, 
 where information has doubtless been received on the subject. 
 The " Leander" and " Diamond" frigates have been moored by 
 a single cable, and Lieutenant Fletcher, commanding the 
 " Triton" war-steamer, has directions to be in readiness to get 
 his steam up at brief notice, in order to tow them out of 
 Balaklava harbour to a position whence their guns would bear 
 on the jMarine Heights. 
 
 Notwithstanding all these preparations lor action, I repeat 
 that people seem less contident or, at any rate, do not converse 
 so much of that which two or three days ago every one de- 
 clai'ed to be imminent ; and last evening some sanguine spirits, 
 who doubtless, and with good reason, would prefer a day on the 
 moors to a night in the trenches, were heard with much 
 earnestness talking in our little hut of speedy peace. The 
 liussians, the}'' declared, could sustain the contest no longer, 
 owing to the want of water and the difficulty of obtaining 
 supplies ; their final attempt had been made in the action of 
 the 16th, and, having been repulsed with heavy loss at the 
 point which they had selected, on account of its seeming to 
 offer most chances of success, they would not risk another 
 battle to raise the siege, but would yield, treat for peace, 
 and make the necessary concessions to obtain it. According 
 to these authorities in a couple of months the British arm}' 
 would go home again. The hopefulness of youth and a certain 
 vivacity of imagination vasij doidjtless qualify a man to produce 
 rose-tinted sketches of this kind, and there certainly can be no 
 manner of question as to the immense superiority of a merry 
 Christmas in England to a muddy one on the heights of 
 Balaklava, any more than there can be of the smoking sirloin 
 and tenderly-fed turkey being preferable to lean kine of the 
 Crimea, and fowls that refuse to be fattened. But there is 
 no magic in wishes any more than in words, and it is to 
 he feared that these prophets of peace underrate the tenacity 
 and endurance of the Russian government and people. It is 
 certain that their position is a difficult one, if, as is now the 
 growing belief, they run short of water and cannot get up
 
 102 THE LL'LL BEFOIIE THE STORM. 
 
 supplies fast enough for the number of men necessaiy to m.aln- 
 tain the ground. Tliat such is the ease we liave evidence 
 wortliy of consideration, but which must not be unhesitatingly 
 received, since it is furnished principally by deserters. Ac- 
 cepting it, for argument's sake, us trustworthy and positive, the 
 enemy's only alternative will be to attack or to yield. To induce 
 them to attack is just what is most to be desii-ed. This, in 
 fact, is no siege, for we have two powerful armies, each occu- 
 pying a line of extremely strong positions, not to be taken with- 
 out severe loss and some risk of defeat. The disadvantage is 
 evidently with that army which is first compelled to assume 
 the offensive. The result of the action on the Tchernaya affords 
 sufficient proof of this. Since it occurred, the defences of the 
 point then assailed have been greatly strengthened by the French, 
 who now laugh at the idea of a similar attempt being made with 
 the slightest shadow of success. An attempt on Balaklava or a 
 general attack on our lines would be a strong indication that the 
 statements of the straitened condition of the Russians are 
 well founded, and tliat they are driven to tiy the effect of a 
 desperate effort. Such an attack, if our generals prove as able 
 as we know our soldiers to be brave, ought to recoil with ter- 
 rible force upon the heads of the assailants, occasioning them 
 heavy losses in men, and giving us solid proofs of succ-ess in the 
 shape of newly-acquired positions. 
 
 Besides the reports current of approaching famine and actual 
 drought in the I'ussian camp, there are others of the plague 
 being in Sebastopol, and of a mutiny having broken out, in con- 
 sequence of which a hundred men were shot. I mention these 
 flying rumours, which I have been unable to trace to any trust- 
 worthy source, with the belief that they are not true. 
 
 Our works on the left continue to advance. Several new bat- 
 teries — one of 15 mortars — have been constructed in front of 
 what were recently our most advanced positions on that part of 
 the line. The Greenhill Battery, lately so prominent, now 
 appears as if it were in the rear, and heavy batteries have been 
 erected in the second parallel. There was a heavy fii''^ before 
 daybreak this morning. The Eussians showed themseh.^s out- 
 side the Redan, possibly with a view of repairing damages to 
 the parapets, but we made it too hot for them, and they 
 promptly retired. To-day the batteries have been very quiet on 
 both sides.
 
 INVESTITURE OF THE BATH. 103 
 
 Monday Night. 
 The ceremony of the Investiture of the Order of the Bath 
 took place to-day between one and two o'clock. Sir Harry Jones 
 being ill and unable to attend, Lord Stratford de Eedclifle went 
 to his quarters and invested him there. Lord Stratford arrived 
 here two days ago, accompanied by Lord Napier, M. Pisani, Mr. 
 Moore, Mr. Brodie, Mr. Alison, and Dr. Tice, stafF-surgeon, as 
 medical attendant. The place in which the ceremony came off 
 to-day is a square court in front of General Simpson's quarters. 
 One side of the court is formed by the long, low building occu- 
 pied by the English Commander-in-Chief, two others by stables 
 and outbuildings, while the fourth is open to the downs. This 
 square, over which, a year ago, Crimean pigs and poultry grunted 
 and crowed, glittered to-day with British and French uniforms, 
 gilding, and embroidery. At the entrance to the house a sort 
 of tent was formed of flags. Above waved the standard of 
 England, Hanked bj'' the British ensign and French tricolor and 
 by the Sardinian and Turkish colours. The square of buildings 
 was lined by another of troops, consisting of detachments of the 
 Guards, Rifles, Line, Artillery, Cavalry, and Naval Brigade. From 
 the side facing the house, along a gentle slope, adouble line of lancer 
 sentries appeared, and at the extremity of the line guns were placed 
 in readiness to fire the salute. Inside the square a number of 
 officers in full dress were assembled. Outside were other officers 
 and a few civilians, and some ladies' riding habits were observed 
 in the crowd. General Pelissier came in his carriage, with his 
 staff, and several other French generals were present. The 
 French commander is as corpulent, short, and dark, as General 
 Simpson is tall, slender, and fair. When all were assembled, 
 the ceremony commenced. Lord Stratford made a dignified 
 speech, which acquired additional interest from the circum- 
 stances. He remarked on the unprecedented nature of the 
 investiture, occurring, as it did, almost on the ground where 
 the services had been rendered and the exploits achieved 
 for which the honour was conferred, and almost under fire 
 of the enemy's guns. As he uttered the words a loud boom 
 fi'om the batteries gave peculiar appropriateness to his ex- 
 pressions and a dramatic interest to the scene. Sir Colin 
 Campbell and Sir Edmund Lyons each spoke a few sentences in 
 reply. The troops presented arms, the band played " God Save 
 the Queen," the artillery fired a Royal salute, and then the 
 assembled force, which was about 1000 men, filed off, and the
 
 104 THE LULL BEFORE THE STOllM. 
 
 numerous gi-oups of officers shortly after left the ground. The 
 pageant was favoured by a brilliant sunshine, tempered by a 
 pleasant breeze, and could not have gone off better. 
 
 Later in the afternoon we had a spectacle of a different kind, 
 but, in its humble way, of a not less interesting nature. Soyer, 
 the Gastronomic Regenerator, now the camp cook ^Ja?- excellence, 
 opened the fire of his kitclions on the esplanade in front of the 
 Guards' camp. A row of huge iron boilers supplied each one its 
 different soup or stew, concocted entirely from the rations daily 
 furnished to the troops. From the summit of a large marquee 
 fluttered the French andEnglish colours; smaller flags waved gaily 
 over the enclosui-e, which was formed by garlands of foliage. The 
 guests, who were very numerous, paid due homage to the contents 
 of the savoury cauldrons, the capacity of which alone saved them 
 from speedy exhaustion. There was no denying the excellence of 
 the cookery. Five o'clock is a hungry hour in the Crimea; and 
 I can ansvv'er for it that few of the guests contented themselves 
 with merely tasting. General Simpson smiled approvingly at 
 the skill of the French cook, and General Pelissier seemed 
 highly to enjoy his countryman's potaye. A great number of 
 persons were present. There were rice pudding and Cossack 
 plumpudding (all rations), snug tents, with champagne, and the 
 most crystalline of ice (not rations), and Soyer was voted, nem. 
 con., the worthy chef of the army in the Crimea. To speak 
 seriously, he will render real service if he teaches the soldier, as 
 I understand he proposes to do, to make the most of the very 
 excellent materials now supplied to him, which hitherto have 
 unquestionably been wasted, more or less, through ignorance of 
 a few of the simplest laws of the gastronomic science. H. 
 
 The Tchernaya, August 26. 
 
 We are still living in the continual apprehension of a Russian 
 attack, although no more information has been obtained of the 
 day when it is to take place. As sailors at the signs of an 
 imminent storm make everything snug and shorten sail, so we 
 draw in the more exposed posts, strengthen our position, bring 
 up reserves, and try to provide for every emergency. 
 
 Since the late attack the French detachment and waggon-train, 
 which had been employed collecting the hay in the valley of 
 Baidar, have been continually on the move, according to the 
 reports which reached us of the enemy's proceedings. Whenever 
 the news came of an attack for the next day they fell back
 
 WANT OF SCAVENGERS. 105 
 
 tov/ards the valley of Varnutka, and occupied the wooded ridge 
 which runs along from Buyuk Miskomia down to Kaitou, and 
 separates this latter valley from that of Baidar. Wlien again 
 the rumour proved false they descended, and pushed forward 
 reconnaissances to the heights towards Koloulouz and Markoul. 
 
 Thos(> precautions hecame necessary on account of the large 
 number of waggons and arabas which, having only the Woronzoff 
 road to retire by, Avould run the risk of being captured should the 
 Eussians attack in force. Besides, the French have lately brought 
 over great part of their cattle to these valleys, where the grass 
 is still plentiful, while that in the neighboui'hood of Sebastopol is 
 quite scorched. Notwithstanding their late frequent hegiras the 
 cattle have been very much improved by this change, and have 
 lost that skeleton look which they shared formerly with their 
 oomrades confined to the neighbourhood of the Monastery of St. 
 George ; but — I don't know whether from change of diet, or 
 because they were already too fiir gone — many of them have 
 died, and the two vallej's, so sweet formerly, are now quite the 
 reverse, for the carcasses are left lying about or thrown among 
 the bushes, and there are no vultures to feast upon them. When 
 one remembers the host of those scavengers which infested our 
 army during the past winter, it seems strange that there should 
 not be one to be seen now. Whether they have been disgusted 
 by the numbers of paid Tartar and Croat scavengers enlisted by 
 the allied armies, and dreaded starvation, or whether they found 
 more choice morsels on the Russian side, where there may be 
 likewise a good deal to excite their gluttony, or, lastly, whether 
 they are driven away by the heat, I cannot tell. 
 
 The HighlandBrigade,under Brigadier-General Cameron, seems 
 destined to be a permanent reserve for the Piedmontese. They 
 came down, as I wrote to you in my last letter, on Saturday 
 morning, the day on which the Russian attack has been posi- 
 tively expected, and have remained since encamped on a slope 
 behind Kamara. This was the first occasion on which English 
 troops have come into immediate contact as neighbours with 
 the Piedmontese. Hitherto their acquaintance had only been 
 carried at a distance. The Sardinians, who from the very beginning 
 had been encamped on this side, were only rarely seen about the 
 British camp, and the intercourse was mostly confined to a 
 passing "bono," which seems to have become the first uni- 
 versally received word in the cosmopolitan language which is 
 gradually coming into general use out here. There was much
 
 106 TIIK LULL EEFOUE THE STORM. 
 
 more companionsliip between the French and Piedmontese, as 
 many of the latter, as well as the Savoyards, speak French, 
 and they were close neighbours on the Tchernaya. But from 
 all one sees, now that thej- are close to each other, the inability 
 to express their feelings does not prevent the Highlanders and 
 Piedmontese from entertaining reciprocal feelings of good will, 
 the neighbouring canteens furnishing the means of eloquence to 
 both parties. Scarcely three days have elapsed since their first 
 acquaintance, and the frequent mingling of red coats with gray 
 ones must strike every eye. The Sardinian band, which plays 
 every evening on an open space in the centre of the Piedmontese 
 camp, seems to be the rendezvous where the first step towards 
 acqiiaintanceship is made. I don't know whether it be by the law 
 of contrasts, or from the coincidence that both are distinguished 
 from the other corps of their respective armies by their peculiar 
 dress, but it seems to me that the most intimate intercourse 
 exists between the tiny Bersaglieri and the tall Highlanders.. 
 
 In consequence of the daily apprehension of an attack, the 
 English cavalry is turned out regularly every morning, and 
 comes down to the valley, as if haunting the ground where its 
 comrades fell, and watching an opportunity to revenge them. 
 The disasters which befell our cavalry last year have left no 
 trace, and. Phoenix like, it has arisen more brilliant than ever 
 from its ashes. The effect is imposing — perfect, one might say, 
 if anything human could be called so. Horses and men are 
 in excellent condition, as fit for work as any cavalry can be. 
 It would not, however, be at all desirable that this daily expe- 
 dition should continue. It has, indeed, the advantage of saving 
 the turning out for parade, so that the horses rest after they 
 come back from the valley, and have only to go down for 
 water; but if those morning rides are to last, they will soon 
 bring down the horses in condition, and then they would have 
 some difficulty in facing a Crimean winter, even in good stables. 
 This was, I think, last year fatal to the horses. In September 
 and October harassing outpost duties reduced them, and you 
 could see every day detachments of cavalry hunting sly Cossacks 
 towards the Tchernaya, so that the horses weie in very indifferent 
 condition when the first rains began, and, with their weakened 
 constitutions, could not face hunger, wet, and cold. 
 
 Omar Pasha is expected every moment. Yesterday the 
 honses were sent down again for him to Kamiesch. He will 
 retain the command of the Turkish troops in the Crimea, visit
 
 ANTICIPATIONS. 107 
 
 Yenikale and Eupatovia, and then go to Asia, wliere tlie Russians 
 are pressing upon Kars, taking with him a division from these 
 parts. There is not much chanee that he will do anything- 
 there this year; the season is too far advanced, and in a 
 mouth, or at most six weeks, campaigning in Asia will be over. 
 He may, however, accomplish much in re-organizing the army 
 durinsr the wintei*. E- 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 The first, of September — Prospect of another winter in the Crimea — 
 Terrible cfTcct of tlie bombardment — lload-making — ^Magazines — How 
 tlie Croats enjoy thcmselve.s — The "Vanity Kair" at Kadikoi sup- 
 pressed — Spies — S-tory of the arrest of a Polisli officer in Englisli 
 imiform — Accumulation of stores — Lavisli expenditure — Nuts for John 
 Bull to crack — Spanish mules — Auxiliaries from every region — Trans- 
 ports — Land Tr.insport Corps— Army Works Corps — Mounted Staff 
 Corps — Ambulance Corps — M. Soyer — Disasters in tlie Allied Camp — 
 Progress of the Siege — Fearful explosion in the Mamelon — Daring 
 attempt of the Russians to gain possession of a portion of the English 
 works — Loss in the affair. 
 
 Before Sebastopoi,, September 1. 
 
 There is many a fine fellow in camp thinking this morning of 
 some pleasant terrain, where partridges abound, and friends are 
 gathered intent upon harmless slaughter, who will never see the 
 old country again. It is to he hoped, indeed, that om- army 
 will not suffer so severely this month as it did in the corres- 
 ponding period of last year, after the victory of the Alma, and 
 the forced march to Balaklava; but it cannot be forgotten, that 
 with a small force on this plateau, we then suffered many losses 
 from sickness, and that we have not now such " seasoned 
 troops" as the veterans of Varna and Btilgaria, while the numbers 
 of men and animals, and the consequent sources of disease, have 
 been enormously increased, and are now accumulated in the 
 same space of ground. The army is, it appears, by common 
 consent, doomed to remain here another winter, which may be, 
 that the will of Heaven and the improvidence of man will 
 render more terrible in its effects than the last. There is 
 no apparent reason why we should not succeed in establishing 
 ourselves on the south side, ere the frost and snow interrupt 
 active operations. The case will be altered this time twelve- 
 month, should the Russians be able to maintain their army till 
 then. Mortars are coming in by scores, and there is abundance
 
 108 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 of sliells and fuses for the present use of our batteries. Sebas- 
 topol has an insatiable raaw ibr nuiterial, and devours tons 
 ■upon tons of iron witliout any apparent inconvenience. Even 
 when there is no " fire," no bombardment, the mass of am- 
 munition expended in reducing the fire of the phice, and in 
 covering our own and preventing the enemy's works, is, to a 
 civilian, incredible. After the failure of June 18, our cannonade 
 languished. We talked of it as slackening, and considered it 
 extinct. Prince Gortscbakofi' assures the world that it was a 
 inere squib, a feeble firework, which did those tough Russians 
 no harm, and caused their troops no inconvenience ; and yet, 
 somehow or other, between the 18th of June and 18tli of July, 
 not less than eight thousand pretty little globules of ii'on, eight, 
 ten, and thirteen inches in diameter, and falling with a weight 
 in the first instance equivalent to fifty, and in the second to 
 fifty to ninety tons, were deposited inside the lines of Sebas- 
 topol, and every one that burst sent forth some six or eight 
 fragments, of several pounds weight each, a distance of two 
 or three hundred yards, unless they were stopped in transitu 
 by traverse or sinew. The eiFect of the fire of two hundred 
 mortars (of which we are now talking), properly protected by 
 horizontal fire, would speedily render the portion of the south 
 side within range quite untenable, and if once we gained the 
 hills and ridges on which either the Bastion du Mat, the Redan, 
 or the MalakhofF is seated, we should be in a position to com- 
 mand the whole of the harbour and roadstead of Sebas- 
 topol. Nor does it seem likely that the enemj' could construct 
 any very efficient defences on the steep descent which leads to 
 the water's edge, at the other side of the works, such as would 
 hold us in check if once we had entered the place, or that the 
 Russians would risk their army \)j defending them. The pre- 
 parations for road making and road repairing are promising for the 
 winter. The railway is to be trenched in and ballasted up, the per- 
 manent way is to be placed in perfect order ; but, unless the dis- 
 gusting brutality of the men who drive the horses on the line 
 be restrained, we shall have no horse power left to work it. It was 
 but yesterday I saw a ruffian beating a horse across the loins with 
 the heavy billet of wood used to cog the wheels when the truck 
 halts on an incline. The navvies understood how to use their 
 horses ; the men of the Land Transport Corps, some of them at 
 least, seem to do their best to kill them, and to destroy the 
 trucks as fast as they can. The men of the Ai-my Works Corps
 
 "vanity fair." 109 
 
 (how many " Coi-ps " is poor John Bull paying for ?) are busily 
 engaged in road making and road repairing, and the lines for 
 the tramway from Kadikoi to the Woronzofl" road, and from the 
 Col de Balaklava to Kamlesch, have been survej'ed and laid 
 down by Mr. Beatty and Mr. Campbell, but it is uncertain 
 when our allies will begin to make them. 
 
 Magazines are in course of erection, but it is to be regretted 
 that tlio best use has not been made of the iron buildings sent 
 out for the purpose. They are senii-cylindrieal in form, and as 
 they are now placed on the ground their capacity is compara- 
 tively small, but if they had been raised on stone walls only 
 three feet high, they would have contained, as any one may con- 
 ceive, a very much greater quantity of stores. The Croats — those 
 interesting creatures to whom we pay 3s. a day for the cultiva- 
 tion of luxurious idleness and tobacco smoking — have at last 
 been set to work on the roads, and may now be seen in pic- 
 turesque groups alternating between the use of the pick and the 
 enjoyment of the pipe on the side of the French road, past our 
 cavalry camp beyond Kadikoi. 
 
 "Vanity Fair" has been partly closed; numy of the booths 
 have been shut up for tbe time, and the proprietors warned off 
 for the present, and Kadikoi now presents a desolate and neglected 
 aspect. The cause of this abrupt proceeding is not exactly known 
 — some say, " spies," others " dirt;" but at all events, the Crimean 
 Donnybrook,— where luxuries were so bad and abundant, and 
 where comforts were not unknown — where the poor Provost 
 jMarshal imderwent daily attacks of despair and frenzy — where 
 Midas lived in every booth, thievish avarice haunted every 
 turning, and the scum of Europe bubbled up and boiled over, — 
 has been sadly curtailed in its fair proportions. All the 
 sutlers, with some exceptions made in favour of the better class 
 of the merchants, such as Mr. Oppenheim, Mr. Crockford, 
 and one or two more, have been obliged to remove, and those 
 who are considered deserving of the indulgence have obtained 
 permission to erect booths in the new bazaar, for which a site 
 has been marked out at the rear of the Second and Fourth 
 Divisions, and to the flank and front of the Guards' camp. 
 There is a report that the fair was a nest of spies — strange fires 
 were occasionally lighted up on the hills behind it, towards 
 Karanyi, and were answered by the Russians on the plateau 
 I\Iackenzie, and people came and departed as they listed without 
 any interu'rence with their movements. So " they say;" but I
 
 110 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 tliink the real reason was, that Colonel Harding got angry at 
 the evil habits of the people, who permitted dirt, offal, bones, 
 bottles, and nasty things of all kinds, to accumulate, and would 
 «ot clear them away when ordered to do so. In fact, the fair was 
 becoming too large and too troublesome. As to spies, they arc 
 to be looked for elsewhere. It has just been reported that the 
 Polish officer who deserted to us from Tchorgoun, at the Karanyi 
 races, some months ago, was caught yesterday in an English 
 officer's uniform trying to get over to the Russians. He lived 
 long at head-quarters, and could tell a good deal of what passed 
 there, but I am inclined to think there is a mistake, and that 
 the Pole has been sent away long ago. It is certain that a man 
 was brought in to head-quarters di'essed in a new English tunic, 
 and was examined by General Simpson and Colonel Pakenham, 
 but whether it v/as our amusing friend who sang good songs and 
 told such amusing stories I am not in a position to state. 
 
 Some divisions have managed to get together a considerable 
 accumulation of stores in advance, and almost in anticijjalion 
 of the winter. Hum for a month, forage for three weeks, and 
 several days' supply of meat have been collected in some cases ; 
 but fuel is brought up de die in diem by a most thriftless 
 process. It is no unusual thing to see a string- of fine Spanish 
 mules and ponies, each of which has cost a good round sum, 
 coming fi-om Kasatch or Balaklavawith a couple of stout boughs 
 lashed to ea(;h side of then- pack saddles, the ends trailing on the 
 ground, and the di-ivers \irging them at full speed. The proper 
 load of wood for a mule is 2001b. Judging by the loads I have 
 seen weighed, they actually carry less than 1001b., and at the 
 same time the costlj' pack saddles are ruined, and the animals 
 distressed and injured by this clumsy mode of carriage. How 
 the money is Hying ! If Mr. John could but get up on one of 
 the hill- tops here, andif after gladdening his heart with the sight 
 of his fine fleet floating grandly on the water outside the 
 " beleaguered city," — rejoicing over his brave sons whose white 
 tents stud the brown steppe row after row — and rubbing his 
 hands with delight at the thunder of his batteries — he would just 
 wipe his glasses and look at the less glorious and exciting por- 
 tions of the scene, he v/ould have some uneasy tinglings in his 
 breeches' pocket, depend on it. " Where are all these horses 
 going to ?" " Oh, they're Spanish horses, which have been cast 
 by the artillery, and they're going to be sold as unfit for service." 
 " Wliy, Lord bless nic ! it's only a ^ew months since I paid
 
 AUXILIARIES. Ill 
 
 30,000/. for that very lot, and they've done notliing I hear but 
 stand at their picket ropes ever since. They cost me, I'm sur^, 
 carriage and all, 100/. a-piece. What do you think I'll get lor 
 them ?" " Well, sir, to tell you the truth, I don't think as how 
 they'll fetch more than 10/. a-head, if so much." To speak 
 plainly, for the old gentleman's peace of mind, I would not 
 advise him to be too inquisitive, and a visit to the camp, when 
 in its most flourishing condition and healthy aspect, might injure 
 his nerves irremediably. " Who are those fi'llows in that secluded 
 valley, hunting among the vines for some grapes, while their 
 horses are left to wander through the neglected gardens P" 
 " They belong to Division A, or B, or C, or D ; see the letter 
 branded on the horses' flanks. They are Tm-ks, Elamites, 
 Affghans, dwellers in Mesopotamia, Kurds, Parthians, Canaanites, 
 Greeks, for whose services in the Land Transport CorjDS you, 
 John, pay daily the sum of 'Bs. per man, and they ought now to 
 be carrying up provisions fur your soldiers, but, being philoso- 
 phers of the Epicm-ean school, they prefer the pursuit of the 
 grape and the insouciance of the siesta to tramping over dusty 
 roads, or urging their mad career down stony ravines on thy 
 much be-whacked quadrupeds !" " And those miles of mules 
 and carts winding all along the plain, emerging from ravines, 
 ascending hills, and that vast army of drivers in quaint attire, 
 the concentration of the floating vagabondage of the world, the 
 flotsam and jetsam of the social life of every nation, civil and 
 barbarous, on earth — to whom do they belong, and v/ho pays 
 them and for them .P" " Even you, my dear sir, and ver^- 
 handsomely too, I can assure you." " And those ships in 
 Balaklava ?" " Yours again, sir ; but don't be uneasy ; things 
 are managed better there now; occasionally the authorities root 
 out a great demurrager, and send her off" hopping after she has 
 lain -perdu some months doing nothing. The other day the 
 Walmer Castle, a fine Indiaman, sir, was sent off at last — she 
 had been in Balaklava since last February, doing nothing but 
 aflJbrding comfortable lodgings for a few of the authorities — but 
 we wont talk of these things any more, for really the arrange- 
 ments are now much improved." — " Who are those officers in 
 blue, with grey, yellow, and red facings — apparently men of rank, 
 with stars and crowns and lace on their collars .P" " They are 
 of the Land Transport Corps — captains and quartermasters of 
 brigade." " Kallo ! is there a theatrical company here? 
 Who're the queer-looking chaps with tlie huntsmen- in -Z>er
 
 112 THE LULL LEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 Freischiitz-c^c^s and tunics, smoking short pipes, and driving 
 their carts like so many Jehus?" " Well, we have the Zouave 
 Theatre and the Sailors' Theatre, but these men belong to 
 Colonel McMurdo, and certainly they have let their hats get 
 cruelly out of shape ; they were neat enough, and looked well 
 
 while the rosettes were clean, but now " " And who are 
 
 the gentlemen in gray, with black braid and swords and pouch- 
 belts and telescopes — some new riflemen, eh ? — capital dress for 
 sharpshooters." " Why, dear me, sir, don't you know tliose are 
 harmless civilians, who never want and never wish to shoot any 
 one or to be shot at either ? They are civil engineers and civi- 
 lians belonging to your recently formed Army Works Corps." 
 " Hallo, here's another — what's he ? a felt helmet with a spike in 
 it and brass binding— a red frock with black braid — a big horse 
 — a cavalry man, eh P" " Well, he's one of the Mounted Staff 
 Corps, and he gets as much as an Ensign in the line lor being 
 ready to go anj'where — when he's wanted." " VVHio's that 
 drunken fellow — an old soldier in the odd uniform, with medals 
 on his breast ?" " Hush ! he's the last one left of the Ambu- 
 lance Corps. They cost a lot of money, and did some good, but 
 McMurdo wont have them now, unless he gets his own way with 
 
 them, and " " I beg your pui'don, but who is that foreign 
 
 officer in a white bournous and attended by a bi'illiant staff of 
 Generals — him with the blue and silver stripe down his trousers 
 I mean, and gold braid on his v/aistcoat, and a red and Avliite 
 cap; it must be Pelissier?" "That! why that's J\L Sorer, 
 chef de iios hcdtcries de cuisine, and if you go and speak to him, 
 you'll find he'll talk to you for several hours about the way your 
 meat is wasted ; and so I wish you good morning, sir, and 
 everj- success in trade and commerce to enable you to pay all the 
 gentlemen j-ou have seen to-day, as well as a speedy entry into 
 Sebastopol." 
 
 Ah ! that is indeed what we all desire ; there are few indeed 
 who would wish to go away ere we had strolled as masters 
 through its streets, and tried the strength of the Eussian Torres 
 Vedras from Mackenzie's Farm to the lines of the Belbek. This 
 week has not enabled us to boast of our progress, and it has 
 produced two disasters which, although of a trifling nature, 
 have, no doubt, inspired the Eussians with confidence, and com- 
 pensated them to a certain extent for the progress our armies 
 have made in their sap. The first of these was the explosion of 
 a French magazine near the JMamelon, which was caused by a
 
 KXPLOSION IN THE FKKXCII CAMP. 113 
 
 Ivussian shell ; tlio second was tlie tLMiiponiry success oi' tho 
 Russians in our iif'th parallel on Thursday ni;j;ht. Further 
 details will he found helow. I may add that the firin<.if is 
 tolerahlj' brisk all da}' ; about a gun every second bellows from 
 one side or another from dawn till dusk ; then begins a heavier 
 cannonadi! from the Kussians in order to catch our reliefs, and 
 a bombardment from the allies, and before dawn there are 
 generally tremendous bursts of ordnance. The twittering rattle 
 of small arms never ceases in the advanced trenches daj' or night. 
 
 August -TO. 
 
 The camp, from one extremity to the other, was this morning, 
 at one o'clock, shaken by a prodigious explosion, which pro- 
 duced the effects of an earthquake. A deplorable accident had 
 occurred to our gallant allies as they were pursuing their works 
 with their accustomed energy. A tumbrel, from which they were 
 dischai'ging powder into one of the magazines near the ManiClon, 
 was struck by a shell from the Russian batteries, which burst- 
 ing as it crashed through tho roof of the carriage, ignited the 
 cartridges within; the flames reached the powder in the magazine, 
 and, with a hideous roar, 1400 rounds of gunpowder rushed 
 forth in a volcano of fire to the skies, shattering to atoms the 
 magazine, the tumbrels, and all the surrounding works, and 
 whirling from its centre in all directions over the face of the 
 Mamelon and bej'ond it, 150 officers and men. Of these, 40 
 were killed on the spot and the rest are scorched and burnt, or 
 wounded by splinters, stones, and the shot and shell which were 
 thrown into the air by the fiery eruption. Masses of earth, 
 gabions, stones, fragments of carriages, and heavy shot were 
 hurled far into our works on the left of the French, and wounded 
 several of our men. The light of the explosion was not great, 
 but its roar and the shock it gave the earth were very consider- 
 able. The heaviest sleepers awoke and rushed out of theii- 
 tents. There was silence for an instant, and but ibr an instant, 
 as the sullen thunder I'oUed slowly away and echoed along the 
 heights of Inkermann and Mackenzie, then the Russians, 
 leaping to their guns, cheered loudly, but their voices were 
 soon smothered in the crash of the French and Fnglish batteries, 
 which opened along the right of the attack, and played fiei'cely 
 upon their works. The Russians replied to our fire, but they 
 were unaljle to take any advantage of our mischance, owing to 
 the firmness of the French in the advanced trenches and tho 
 
 VOL. II. I
 
 114 THE LULL BEFORE THE STOrxJI. 
 
 steailinoss with which the cannonade was continued. A bright 
 moon li^-hted up tlie whole scene, and shed its rays upon a 
 huge pilhir of smoke and dust, Avhich rose into the air from 
 the Jlumelon, and towering to an immense height, unfolded 
 itself and let fall from its clustering waves of smoke and sul- 
 phurous vapour a black precipitate of earth, fine dust, and 
 pebbles, mingled with miserable fragments, which dropped like 
 rain upon the works below. The dark cloud hung like a pall for 
 nearly an hour over the place, reddening every moment with 
 the rcilcction of the flashes of the artillery, which boomed in- 
 cessantly till dawn. The musketry was very heavy and fierce 
 all along the advanced trenches, and as no one except those in 
 the parallels near the IMamelon knew the precise nature of the 
 explosion, great anxiety was manifested to learn the truth. Some 
 persons asserted that the Russians had sprung a mine — others 
 that the French had blown in the counterscarp of the Malakhoif 
 — and here, with the very spot under their eyes, people were 
 Conjecturing wildly v/hat had taken place. Just like tliose at 
 home who do not hesitate to make the boldest assertions respect- 
 ing the events which have occurred here, and of which they 
 know neither the scene nor the circumstance. But with the 
 morning came the exact news, and also the cheering intelligence 
 that no damage of importance had been done to the parapet or 
 to the works of our gallant allies, for whose loss all felt the- 
 liveliest sympathy. The weight of powder exploded was nearly 
 seven tons, or 1400 rounds of 101b. each. Four officers lost 
 their lives by this deplorable accident ; and if Ave take into con- 
 sideration that there were several hundreds of men in and about 
 the Mamelon and the adjacent parallels, it must be admitted 
 that it is wonderful that the loss of life and limb was not much 
 greater. The shell which did the damage was fired from a 
 moitar, of which the Russians possess comparatively few, 
 although it is quite evident that they have recently received a 
 supply of that arm, from the fact that the number of mortar 
 shells thrown into our works is much more numerous than. 
 before.
 
 A RUSSIAN SORTIE. 115 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Humoured insurrection in Sebastopol — Sufleringrs of the garrison — rearful 
 Josses on both sides — Tlie crisis approaclies — Crimean play-bill — 
 Delight of the audience — Kertch and Yenikale thnatened — Ulliccvs 
 killed and missing — Grand sclieines of the Kussians — Probable result 
 of these — Eagerness of tho allied troops for a conflict — Arduous nature 
 of service in the trenches — luediciency of the recruits — Mere lads sent 
 out as ollicers — Duty in the trenches too much for the new corner.^ — 
 Medical department — Strength of the British contingent — The French 
 sap close to tlie abatlis of the JMalakliOj'l' — A fuiious cannonade and a 
 sortie — Letter to the Fourth Division from Lady Georgina Cathcart. 
 
 September 1. 
 There have been rumours for the hist few days that the 
 garrison of Sebastopol is in an extremely disorganized state, 
 and there are even positive statements that a revolt took place 
 three nights ago, that a brisk firing of musketry, very irregular, 
 vras heard inside the town, mingled with ci'ies and disorderly 
 shouting. A deserter reported the fusillade of an officer of rank 
 and nearly 100 men, who had disobeyed orders. There is no 
 doubt that the losses in the town are frightful, and that, not- 
 withstanding their official and non-official declarations, the 
 Russians suffer from want of water and of spirits. The army 
 on the Belbek and along Jlackenzie^s ridge seems to have 
 diminished in numbers very much. For hours I watch their 
 huts and tents, and can see no men moving about their camp, 
 and it is most likely that the bulk of the men have retired to 
 the Belbek for water. Indeed, it is confidently aftirm^ed, that 
 owing to the deficiency of forage, their cavalry have been com- 
 pelled to fall back on the road to Bakshiserai. Their tele- 
 graphs are busy at work, and at night revolving lights or flash 
 lights can be seen from the extreme ridge of Mackenzie towards 
 Aitodor up to Inkermann. It would be worth while to ascertain 
 the truth of these reports, were it not for the disastrous results any 
 unsuccessful movement to storm the heights would produce on 
 the operations of the siege. The Russians have thrown up another 
 battery, close to the Spin- Battery; it commands a small path from 
 the Tchernaya. Possibly they expect an attack from us. Their 
 last defeat has destroyed their morale, and we are assured that 
 the convoys of wounded from Sebastopol are ordered to take a 
 detour, so as not to pass through the camps on their way to 
 Sinipheropol and Bakshiserai. Oi\ the other hand, the French, 
 
 i2
 
 11 § THE LULL BEFORE THE STOEJL 
 
 •with tlioir usual energy, are constructing extremely strong 
 redoubts on the site of the old redoubts in the plain, which were so 
 miserably made by us, and to which, among other causes, Ave may 
 attribute the disastrous loss of the 25t]i of October, when they 
 were abandoned by the Turks. These woi'ks are in coimexion with 
 the outer line of defence from Kamara, Traktir, and Tchorgoun, 
 and the Sardinian and Turkish batteries towards Baidar, and 
 behind them are the old batteries and redoubts defending Bala- 
 klava, wliich is now one of the strongest positions in the world. 
 The attack on the Malakhoff may possibly talce place within 
 a few weeks after these lines are penned — if so, you will learn 
 the result ere they reach you. Our gallant and admirable 
 allies are losing heavily, I regret to say, in the White redoubt 
 which they captured on the 7th of June. The 12-gun battery 
 on the nortli side takes them in flank and reverse, the Mala- 
 khoff enfilades them on the other side, and they are exposed to 
 the direct fii'e of the shipping in front. They gaily call the place 
 " r Abattoir," and it is said they lose one-half of the men who 
 go into it every day. As for ourselves, the Adjutant-General's 
 lists show what our losses are, and I hope impress on the autho- 
 rities at home the necessity of keeping our depots full, and our 
 draughts constantly en route to the Crimea. About fifty men 
 Jiors de combat in every twenty-four hours soon tell on the 
 efficiency of a small arn>y. It is in effect the demolition of a 
 regiment in ten days. However, these rumoui's to which I 
 have alluded, give hope once more that this endless camion- 
 ading may soon be silenced in the shouts of victory. Certainly 
 the spirit and morale of the men are excellent. As for Jack Tar, 
 he shall speak for himself. This is the bill of his play — 
 
 Theatre Royal, Naval Brigade. 
 
 On Friday Evening, 31st of August, will be Performed 
 
 Deaf as a Post ! 
 
 To be followed by 
 
 The Silent Woman. 
 
 The whole to conclude with the laughable Farce entitled 
 
 Slasher and Crasher. 
 
 Seats to be taken at 7 o'clock. Performance to commence 
 
 precisely at 8 o'clock. 
 
 God save the Queen ! Rule Britannia ! 
 
 And right well they played. True, the theatre was the am- 
 putating house of the Brigade, but no reflections as to its future 
 and past use marred the sense of present enjoyment. The
 
 A CRIMEAN BALLLT GIRL, 117 
 
 scenes were furnished from " The London," the actors from the 
 Brigade. There was an agreeable ballet girl, who had to go 
 into the trenches to work a 6S-pounder at three o'clock in the 
 morning, and Rosa was impersonated by a prepossessing young- 
 boatswain's mate. Songs there were in plenty, with a slight 
 smack of the forecastle, and a refrain of big guns booming 
 down the ravine from the front ; but they were all highly 
 appreciated, and the dancing was pronounced to be wortliy of 
 Her Majesty's ere Terpsichore and Mr. Luniley retired from the 
 concei'n. Nor were fashionable and illustrious person;iges 
 wanting to grace the performance with their presence, and to 
 relieve the mass of 2000 connnoners who cheered and laughed 
 and applauded so good-humouredly. Your elegant contemporary's 
 types need not have blushed to print such names as the " Duke 
 of Newcastle," who paid marked attention to Deaf as a Post, 
 and led the encore for a hornpipe of the fii'st force; as " Lord 
 Rokeby," who was as assiduous as his Grace, besides those of 
 generals, brigadiers, lords, and honourables. The sense of 
 enjoyment was not maiTed by the long range guns, which now 
 and then sent a lobbing shot near the theatre and never did 
 any harm ; and if the audience were amused, so were the per- 
 formers, who acted with surprising spirit and taste. What would 
 old Benbow or grim old Cloudesley Shovell have thought of 
 it all? 
 
 11 O'CLOCK, A.M. 
 
 It is rumoured that Kertch and Yenikale are in danger of 
 being attacked by a large force of Russians. The " Himalaya" 
 came round from Kasatch this morning, and tliey are in such a 
 huiTy to get her off again that they are watering her out of the 
 ships in harbour. It is believed she will take a party of 
 cavalry round to Kertch forthwith. 
 
 The cavalry are sickly — many men ill, but not dangerously 
 so. No wonder that they are ill, for the recruits sent out to us 
 are miserable. When in full dress they are " all helmet and 
 boots." The Army Works CJorps have lost twelve men by cholera. 
 
 There was a sortie early this morning on the advanced 
 trenches of our right attack, and the Russians kept up a very 
 heavy fire on our working parties. 
 
 Colonel W^alker, Scots Fusilier Guards, was slightly wounded, 
 and Lieutenant Wolseley, R.E., received a small contusion from 
 a piece of stone. 
 
 In the Second Division, which furnished men for the 
 trenches, one officer was killed, Captain L. Fraser, 95th (died
 
 118 THE LfLL BEFORE THE ST0R5r. 
 
 of wounds), and two wounded — the latter, Mtijoi- Graham, 41st 
 (amputation of arm) ; Lieutenant Forbes, 30th (amputation of 
 shoulder-joint). Captain Ross, Buffs, is missing. 
 
 The " Sphinx" arrived off Balalclava, and Sir E. Lyons came 
 round from Kasatch, and went back by her to the iieet. Lord 
 Stratford de Kedcliffe and retinue took their departure for 
 Therapia yesterday. The " Andes" has also arrived in port. 
 
 September 3. 
 There is a general belief that the Russians are about to try the 
 chances of war once more, and that in one grand attack alon;^ the 
 whole of our line they are prepared to assault the allies with 90,00() 
 men at three or four points between Baidar and the gorge of Inker- 
 mann, and at the same time to make a general sortie in great 
 force fiom Sebastopol on the left, centre, and riglit of om- works. 
 Prince Gortschakoff, General Liprandi, General Paniutin, and 
 General Osten-Sacken are mentioned as the directors of the 
 attacking columns on certain points, which have been indicated 
 to us by information derived from the enemy's camp. The 
 mass of the Russian forces is supposed to be at present con- 
 centrated on the cultivated plateau between Kamishli and 
 Kalankoi, on the south side of the Belbek, supported by 
 divisions echeloned on the road to Bakshiserai. Near Kalankoi 
 " a bad and difficult" mountain road to Balaklava crosses 
 the Belbek, strikes off to the right to Mackenzie's farm, 
 descending thence from the plateau, crosses the Tchernaya at the 
 bridge of the Traktir, now famous as the scene of the brilliant 
 action of the 16th of August, and sweeps across the plain of 
 Balaklava, intersecting in its course the Woronzoff road. Several 
 paths or indifferent roads branch from tliis grand causeway ere 
 it descends the plateau of J\Iackenzie's Farm, leading bj'Chuliou 
 and Ozenbasch towards Baidar, and it is thought that the Rus- 
 sians may have put these in tolerable condition, and rendered 
 them available for the passage of troops and artillery. It seems 
 almost incredible that any General would trust his army among 
 those defiles and mountain-passes, because a failure on the part of 
 the corps on his right to seize Tchorgoun and Kamara would 
 leave himwithout support, and an active enemy could easilj- pursue 
 and crush him before he could possibly gain the plateau from 
 which he had descended, and get under the cover of the guns of his 
 intrenched camp. However, we are told that such an attempt 
 will be made, and that Tchorgoun and Traktir are to be attacked 
 once more, while a strong Russian column, advancing along the
 
 EXPECT ATIOXS OP AN ATTACK. 119 
 
 Baidar road, drives in the Turks and French, and menaces 
 Balaklava by the heights over the sea. Nothing would give 
 such universal satisfaction to the whole ai'my as another attempt 
 by the enemy to force our position. If the Russians descend 
 into the plain we are sure of success, and the prospect of a 
 sanguinary engagement would give positive pleasure to both 
 officers and men, alike weary of the undistinguished, if not inglo- 
 rious, service of the trenches. With nearly 3000 English cavalry 
 and upwards of 5000 French sabres we ought to make signal 
 examples of our defeated foes in their retreat, and our 50 field 
 guns, all in high efficiency and order, would surely annihilate 
 any artillery which the Russians could place in position to check 
 pursuit or cover the flight of their inftmtry. As to their 
 cavaby, they are, as far as we can ascertain, inferior in number 
 to our own, aiid we are certain that in dash and pluck they can- 
 not match the men who charged at Balaklava. In fine, there is 
 reason to hope that if the enemy should strike a great blov>r he 
 will meet with a great disaster, and that we may by one well- 
 fought field terminate the daily conflict which leads to such 
 terrible loss of life, and win a victory rich for once with grand 
 results, and yielding fruits worthy of our daring, our judgment, 
 and our military genius. 
 
 The attack was expected this morning ; it may take place to- 
 morrow ; should it be deferred for a few days more, the Russians 
 may have to fight with all their masses for the possession of the 
 Malakhoif, for the French are assuredly determined not to delay 
 the assault much longer, if it were only to put an end to the 
 losses to which they are hourly exposed. General Pclissier said 
 the other day, " I lose a fine brigade every ten days." It 
 is no compensation that the enemy loses three to our one. 
 The Russians swarm like flies, and their Generals are only 
 puzzled bow to use them, or they could have twice as many. 
 So strong are the expectations of an attack that all officers are 
 ordered to stay in their respective camps. Last night orders 
 were sent round to each division that all the troops should be in 
 readiness to turn out at once at a moment's notice. On the 
 rear, the French, Sardinians, and Turks were under arms long 
 before daybreak, and only turned in when assured by careful 
 examination in broad daylight tliat the enemy were not 
 approaching. The Russians have concentrated considerable 
 masses in and about Upu, Ozembasch, and Chuliou, and Prince 
 Gortschakofl" in person lately visited the army destined to operate 
 against the Turks, French, and Sardinians on the rear, and was
 
 120 THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM. 
 
 prodigal of promises and encouragement. The intelligence 
 received by tlic English, French, and Turkish Generals coincides 
 on these points, and is believed to be entirely trustworthj'. 
 Nothing but despair could iaduce the Russians to attempt such 
 an enterprise. As to a sortie, although it may be made with 
 lai'ge bodies of men, it has no better chance of success, for our 
 reserves will be kept in reudiness to act at once, and the force in 
 the trenches will be henceforth greatly augmented. It is rather 
 strange that we have never constructed any batteries to sweep 
 the Woronzotr road, on the flank of the No. 11 Battery in 
 our left attack, as a strong column of Russians passing 
 rapidly along in this direction might cause our batteries on the 
 left attack to be endangered, and expose them to the risk of 
 being turned, unless protected by a strong force of infantry. It 
 has been our practice, until very recently, to send only 1400 men 
 into the trenches of the left attack, of which one-half was of the 
 reserve, and, as the latter were allowed to go back to camp in the 
 daj-, it frequently happened that only 700 men were lelt to guard 
 the whole of our extensive works in Chapman's attack. In 
 future our ibrce will be increased, and the reserves will be main- 
 tained in all their integrit}', so as to be readj' to give efficient 
 support to the trench guard should the enemy make any serious 
 demonstration against our lines. And here I may be permitted 
 to otl'er one word on behalf of such officers and men as have not 
 had an opportunity of sharing the honours conferred on those 
 who have been so fortunate as to be engaged in general actions 
 during this war. I am certain that there is a very general feel- 
 ing in the army that there should be some distinctive decoration 
 for " service in the trenches." Men have been decorated for 
 Alma, Inkermann, and Balaklava who were not in the least 
 danger or even more under fire than if they had remained in their 
 club card-room, but no man goes into the trenches who is not 
 exposed to heavy fire and to continual danger. The Adjutant- 
 General's returns will show that in a forinight we lose nearly as 
 many officers and men as are put hors de combat in a regular 
 battle, although it will be observed that the proportion of officers 
 to men killed and wounded is far smaller than it is on occasions 
 of drawn battle. A man who has served thirty nights in the 
 trenches will have undergone more fire than if he had been in 
 the hottest fight of the campaign. Why not let him have a 
 decoration, were it only a bit of iron with the words " Trenches 
 before Sebastopol" engraved upon it ? The arduous nature or" 
 our trench service is best indicated by our returns, and by the
 
 THE ILL-USED DOCTORS. 121 
 
 liict that many yomig officers who come out from England are ren- 
 dered unfit or unable to discharge tlieir duties after a few weeks' 
 experience. Altliough there are manj^ complaints of the rawness of 
 the recruits sent out to us, they are as nothing compared to the 
 outcry against the crudity of the lads who are despatched as 
 "officers" to the Crimea, and who perforce must he sent in 
 resjionsible positions into the trenches. A reference to the daily 
 General Orders will satisfy any one of the truthfulness of that 
 outcry. The number of officers who sicken and are ordered 
 home, or to Scutari, or to go on board sliip, is increasing, and it 
 is not fovmd that the recently arrived regiments furnish the 
 smallest number of those worn out by ennui, and reduced 
 from good health to a state of illness by a few days' service. 
 The old officers, of course, grumble loudly and deeply at such a 
 state of things, and the grim veterans who have remained with 
 their regiments since the beginning of the campaign, are indig- 
 nant at having sent out as their comrades puling boys, who, 
 from no fault of their own, are utterly helpless and inefficient, 
 and soon sicken, and leave the duties of the regiment to be 
 performed by their overworked seniors. Why should not 
 vacancies in regiments out here be filled up from regiments 
 stationed elsewhere ? Such a course was pursued in the Chinese 
 war, in our Indian wars, and I believe in the long war, and it 
 secured the services of experienced soldiers. There are many 
 ensigns of four, five, and six years' standing in the latter regi- 
 ments, while it would be difficult to find many lieutenants who 
 have seen so much service in any regiment which has been here 
 since the beginning of the war. 
 
 With all our experience we still permit the existence of absur- 
 dities and anomalies. About 100 doctors are sick from over- 
 work or of disgust, and yet we have civil hospitals on the 
 Dardanelles, maintained at some expense, in which the medical 
 men have so little to do that they come up to camp to " tout" 
 for patients and practice. The surgeons say that, as it is very 
 evident Government will never give them any honour or reward, 
 except mere service promotion and pay, they will look to the 
 latter alone, and it may be easily imagined in what frame of 
 mind they will serve in cases where they can escape the neces- 
 sity of energetic exertion. With a kind of refined irony two of 
 the medical officers were " invited to attend" at the investiture 
 of the K.C.B.'s the other day, as none of them were eligible as 
 C.B.'s. Two commissariat officers were kindly invited to repre- 
 sent their body. These complaints are the echoes of voices iu
 
 122 THE LULL BEFORE THE STOKJI. 
 
 the camp, loud cuouyh to be lieavd, and as such I ro;tx)rt 
 then;. 
 
 The oondiiiou of the army, notwithstanding the existence of 
 a considerable amount of sickness, of some discontent, and of an 
 element of weakness in the youthful recruits, is, on the whole, 
 so far as one can judge, satisfactory. It is not, however, as 
 strong as people at home imagine. With all our reinforcements 
 in fresh regiments and draughts it does not reach the strength 
 Mr. Sidney Herbert and his friends over and over again declared 
 it to be when it was struggling for life in the snow and mud 
 last winter. The Sardinians, now acclimatized, Hushed with 
 triumph, and an.Kious for another opportunity to try their steel, 
 form a fine corps of about 8000 effective bayonets, and the Turks 
 can turn out about 13,000 strong. The French, notwithstand- 
 ing their enormous losses by sickness, their sufferings in the 
 capture of the Mamelon, in the assault of the 18th of June, and, 
 above all, in the trenches, where they have on an average 150 
 Jiors de combat on " quiet nights," and perhaps twice as manj' 
 when the enemy are busy, could with ease present 55,000 
 bayonets to the enemy vyithout distressing themselves, or calling 
 on the camp guards, &c., to leave their posts. The allied cavalry 
 is jiist 9000 sabres strong, and our field artillery is overpowering. 
 In a word, while the siege works are advancing steadily, and 
 with very few checiks, the allies can present on any side a front 
 which is quite strong enough to hold its own against whatever 
 numbers the Russians can bring against us. There is no ground 
 for them to attack in large masses, and there is no room 
 to deploy the men if they had them, and they have already 
 discovered that in attacking by masses of columns successively 
 svirging against us their slaughter is increased and the con- 
 fusion of their repulse very much aggravated. From the 
 French sap in front of the Mamelon one can now lay his hand 
 on the abattis of the Malakhitjf ! It is a hazardous experi- 
 ment sometimes. Major Graham lost his arm in trying it 
 en amateur the other day, for he was hit as he was returning up 
 the trench ; indeed, it is a subject of remark that amateurs and 
 officers who have just come into the trenches are more frequently 
 hit than is consistent with the rules of proportion. Mr. Gam- 
 bier, a midshipman of the " Curaijoa," went as an amateur into 
 the advanced parallel of the left attack, and took a shot at a 
 Russian rifleman ; he was rewarded by a volley from several of 
 the enemy, and in another instant was going up on a stretcher, 
 with a ball tlirough both his thighs. It is a very common
 
 AXOTIIEIl SOKTIE. 123 
 
 thing to hear it said, " Poor Smith is killed ; just imagine — his 
 first night in tho trenches." '• Jones lost a leg last niglit ; only 
 joined us this week, and his second night on duty," &c. The 
 Russians, of course, must suffer in the same way, hut I douht if 
 they have many amateurs. They have quite enough of legiti- 
 mate lighting, and their losses are said to be prodigious ; almost 
 beyond belief. They must soon attack or give up the south 
 side. The Bedan looks greatly cut up ; it has no longer the 
 nice cabinetmaker's work on its tiice which it boasted forinerly. 
 The diary of events is not important. 
 
 The " Himalaya," with 150 of the 10th Hussars and a troop 
 of the Chasseurs d'Afrique, is to be sent to Yenikale, which is, 
 according to report, menaced by a large force of the enemy. It 
 is more probable that these reinforcements have been sent to 
 scour the country for fodder and food, and to protect the out- 
 lying flocks and herds in the plain between Kertch and Yenikale 
 against the attacks of the Cossacks. 
 
 There has been nothing of importance throughout the day. 
 The fire has been pretty sharp at times, but it has not been 
 attended with any marked advantage on our side, nor have the 
 enemy inflicted any serious loss upon us. 
 
 10 P.M. 
 
 There has just been a severe aifair in front. At a quarter 
 past 9 P.M., a heavy fire of musketry to the left of the Malakhoft' 
 showed that the enemxy w^ere attacking the French works in 
 front of the Mamelon. The night was dark, but clear, and for 
 half an hour the whole of our lines were a blaze of quick, inter- 
 mittent light. The musketry rattled in(;essantly. Chapman 
 and Gordon's batteries opened with all their voices, and the 
 liedan, MalakhofF, Garden, and Barrack Batteries replied with 
 roars of ordnance. After twenty minutes of this infernal con- 
 flict the musketry fire flickered and died out, and then com- 
 menced for a quarter of an hour a general whirling of shells 
 from both sides, so that the light of the very stars was eclipsed, 
 and their dominion usurped by the wandering flight of these 
 iron orbs. Twenty or thirty of these curves of fire tearing 
 the air asunder and uttering their shrill "tuwhit! tu whit! 
 tu whit!" as they described their angry flight in the sky, could 
 be counted and heard at once. While it lasted it was one of the 
 hottest aliairs we have yet experienced. The Russians in this 
 sortie attacked our advanced sap on the right once more, and 
 were repulsed with great loss; but Captain Pechell. of the 77th, 
 a brave and beloved yomig oflicer, in setting a brilliant example
 
 124: THE LULL BEFOKE THE STORM. 
 
 to Lis men, was Icilled. The Lijallant 77th behaved extremely well, 
 and the y7th wore engag-ed under the Ibllowing circumstances, 
 as stated by one of the otHcers. A party under Captain llatton 
 were posted in the advanced trench of the h'ft of the right 
 attack. The Russians, at midnight, attacked our working 
 party at a new sap, and drove it in. Lieutenant Brinkley and 
 Lieutenant Preston, with 100 of the t)7th, were ordered to 
 proceed to the right of the new sap, to act as a covering party ; 
 and on arriving at the trench they found it so crowded with 
 men of the 23rd that it was impossible to keep the party of the 
 97th together, so they were obliged to find room as well as they 
 could. This crowded state of the trench is said to have arisen 
 from the party of the 23rd not having recommenced working 
 •when the firing ceased, and remaining in the trench with the 
 covering party of the 77th. At 12 30 Lientenant-Colonel Legh, 
 97th, was ordered to take his men to Colonel Bunbury, 23rd, who 
 was in the open space in advance of tlie new sap. He collected 
 about forty-five rank and file, and telling Lieutenant Preston 
 to advance with the rest, proceeded to the head of the sap, which 
 was knocked to pieces, either by the Russians when they had 
 entered it, or by a battery on the flank of the Malakhofi'. 
 Here Lieutenant Preston was slightly hit, and one man killed. 
 About fifteen yards in front of the sap Colonel Bunbury and a 
 party of the 77th, under Captain Pechell, were stationed ; and 
 that party having been relieved by the party of the 97th, Colonel 
 Legh dispersed his men in cover as well as possible, sending 
 out two parties of six each under Sergeants Coleman and 
 O'Grady in advance. The Russians pushed on and commenced 
 firing sharply from some rifle-pits and large stores in front. 
 All of a sudden they gave a loud cheer, and the men of the 
 97th at once stood up, expecting a rush. When the Russians 
 saw the effect of their ruse they fired a volley, which killed 
 and wounded several men. Lieutenant Preston, who had 
 stepped in front of Colonel Legh, was mortally wounded, and 
 carried to the rear by Sergeant Coleman ; but Sergeant O'Grady 
 fell dead just as he had demanded permission to take the 
 enemy's rifle-pits. Lieutenant Ware and Lieutenant Whitehead 
 were sent down bj' Captain Hutton to assist their comrades, 
 when the Russians again fired and wounded Lieutenant Ware ; 
 but Lieutenant Whitehead succeeded in bringing in all the 
 wounded, except Corporal Macks, who was lying close to the 
 rifle-pits with two legs broken. Lieutenant Brinkley came up 
 in support. The Russians i-enewed their firing, but without
 
 A DARIN'G FEAT. 125 
 
 result; and tliey retired from the pits before dawn, having put, 
 in this little allair, three officers and twenty-four men hors do 
 combat. The Russians tore down some gabions, and were only 
 driven out after a desperate struggle, in which and during their 
 retreat they lost at least 600 men. The French loss was up- 
 wards of 300 men hors de combat; and they also lost some ot 
 their gabions. Our shell practice was beyond all praise, and 
 the Redan suffered severely in the contest, and could not cover 
 the retreat of tlie enemy. 
 
 Two deserters — daring fellows in their fear— actually swam 
 out last night to one of the French ships on guard off Sebastopol 
 and gave information of great importance. They declare that 
 most of the heavy guns have been transferred irom Fort Con- 
 stantine and Fort Nicholas to the defensive works, and that the 
 powder is removed from the works of the harbour and placed in 
 Fort Nicholas. The number of men who stiu'ted on this 
 perilous expedition was five, and as only two arrived safel3% the 
 rest are supposed to have perished. They supported themselves 
 during their long swim by means of bladders. The Sardinians 
 have begun the earthworks for the railway from the Woronzolf- 
 road to Kadikoi. 
 
 Tuesday, 1 a.m. 
 
 There is really nothing to add to the foregoing even by way 
 of postscript. Our expectations of attack were again disap- 
 pointed. The subjoined extract from a divisional order will be 
 read with interest : — 
 
 " The following exti'act of a letter from Lady Georgina 
 Cathcai't is published for the information of the officers and 
 privates of the Fourth Division : — 
 
 " ' I beg you will yourself accept and convey to the officers and 
 men of the Fourth Division the thanks of all the I'amily, as well 
 as my own, for this touching memorial of their aiiection and 
 esteem for their late Commander, Sir George Cathcart, which is 
 indeed most gratiiying to us. I think the whole design hand- 
 some. The manner in which it has been executed, of solid and 
 durable granite, in the midst of many difficulties and dangers, 
 as well as privations, reflects great credit on all those engaged in 
 it, and for which we feel most grateful.' " 
 
 The Division are very much pleased with this expression of 
 Lady Cathcart's sentiments. They still remember with afi'ection 
 their late gallant chief.
 
 12G THE FIKAL E03rBAr.DME^"T. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE FINAL BOMBAEDifENT. 
 
 The dawn of the oth of Sfptombcr — View from Cathcart's TTill — The com- 
 ni('ncc'iin.'nt of tlie fiiiiil lior.ibrtrdnii'iU — Its fearful elVcet.- — Activity of 
 the French — They open fire ^vitho^lt us — Illness of General Jones — A 
 pause ill the terrible drama — Kcncwal of the bombardment — At night 
 both English and French mortars and heavy guns keep up the fire — A 
 Itn^.sian frigate in the harbour in flames — Splendour of the scene — 
 
 Kenewal of the bombardment on the second day Deaths of Cai)tains 
 
 Shone and Buckley — The bombardment continued on the third day — 
 The assault determined upon — A Kussian two decker on fire — Explo- 
 sion in Sebastopol — Preparations for the grand struggle. 
 
 "Wednesday, Sqitemher 5. 
 At dawn on the morning of the 5th of September the allied 
 batteries opened fire for the sixth time on Sebastopol. The 
 air was pure and light, and a gentle breeze from the south- 
 east, Avhich continued all day, drifted over the steppe, and 
 blew gently into Sebastopol. The sun shone serenely tlirough 
 the vapours of early morning and wreaths of snowy clouds, 
 on the long lines of white houses inside those rugged defences 
 of earth and gabionnado which have so long kept our armies 
 gazing in vain on this " august city." The ships floated 
 quietly on the waters of the roads, which were smooth as 
 a mirror, and reflected the forms of these "monarchs of the 
 main," while outside our own fleet and that of the French, 
 equally inactive, and not quite so useful to us, were reposing 
 between Kasatch and Constantino as idly as though they were 
 " painted ships upon a painted ocean." From Cathcart's-hill the 
 view takes in a portion of the defences of the (Quarantine — the 
 French approaches to it and to the Flagstaff' ijalteries up to 
 the junction of their parallels with our left attack, which 
 takes place in the ravine at the end of the Dockyard-creek. 
 The spectator can see at a glance the Flagstntf Batteries' 
 works — the suburb of ruined houses, or rather the sites of cot- 
 tages and residences, which are all that is now left of long 
 streets destroyed by the fire of our allies. This mass of ruins 
 is enclosed between the Flagstaff' and the crenellated sea wall, 
 and beyond this, at a coit2^ cVml, may be seen the civil town 
 behind, still presenting a stately appearance as it rises on the 
 hillside tier over tier, displaying churches, stately mansions.
 
 APPEARANCE OF SEEASTOPOL. 127 
 
 and public buildings of fine white or rod sandstone, v.Ith 
 gardens interspersed and trees growing in the walks. Tluse 
 iine structures are not exempt from " low neighbourhoods" of 
 whitewashed houses, belonging to the garrison or to the poorer 
 inhabitants. The hill on which this part of the city stands 
 rises from the rear of the Flagstaff Battery to the height of 200 
 feet or more, it presents a steep face to the creek from the ])oclc- 
 yard, and then sweeps round towards the roadstead, to the level 
 of which it abruptly descends at the rear of the southern forts. 
 The houses which are built upon this face of the liiil are not visible, 
 but those situate on the eastern fiice, or on the descent to Dock- 
 yard-creek, are discernible to the naked eye. There is a poor 
 suburb at the base, and thence the houses rise In terraces, with 
 flights of steps and curving roads up to the brow of the hill. 
 The bombardment is beginning to tell upon these buildings. 
 A church, decorated with many small pinnacles at the angles 
 of the roof, has been struck by a shell, which destroyed the 
 roof. Some of the best mansions are split open, or with their 
 craclced walls admit the light of the day ; others are perforated 
 with shot-holes, through which the light is visible — windows, 
 doors, pillars, and columns are broken or destroyed. In the 
 rubbish of the subvirb, next to the Flagstalf v/orks, there are 
 several batteries in excellent order, which are not injm-ed by the 
 allied batteries, and which have not yet fired much, if at all. 
 They ai"e mostly Jfechcs. and seem intended as out-lying works 
 of the second line of defences. Near the top of the hill, inside 
 the crenellated wall, a portion of the interior line of these 
 defences is to be seen. A battery, called the " Crow's Kest," 
 from its elevated position, is placed near this line, and commands 
 to a cei'tain extent the right of the French lei't attack, and our 
 sailors' batteries in the left of our left attack, and to all of these it 
 is rather troublesome. It contains a couple of large mortars in 
 addition to some long-range guns, and can bear on any troops 
 between the outer defences and the foot of the hill on which the 
 town rises, and the ravine between our left and the Frtmch left 
 attack. A series of very strong earthworks crowns the ridge of 
 the same hill, and the defences broken by the creek are con- 
 tinued towards the right by the various batteries (Bairack, 
 Road, Garden, lilack, &c.), which are connected with the Great 
 Eedan, and thence are carried to the Malakholf and its outlying 
 works. The suburb behind these defences next the creek, and 
 in front of our left attack, is in complete ruins, but our line of
 
 128 THE FIXAL BOMBARDMENT. 
 
 batteries is almost too far to do injury to the public buildings 
 behind the suburb. Our old first parallel has indeed been dis* 
 armed on account of the distance, and the guns have been moved 
 from it into the second parallel, and various batteries in front of 
 it. The line of the first parallel and the hill on which it is placed 
 conceal from the spectator atCatlicart's-hill the cemetery wliich we 
 have occupied since the ISth of June, and which is improperly 
 marked as " The Ovens" in one of the best maps of the place. 
 They also hide the course of the Woronzofi'-road and the ravine 
 in iront under the proper right of the Redan. That portion of 
 the ravine between our right and lelt attack, which is not 
 closed up by the sweep of the hills on wliich the attacking bat- 
 teries are placed, or by the ragged height seamed with rifle-pits, 
 craters of bombs, zigzags, and the works of our Quarries Battery, 
 is still visible. Behind the Redan may be observed the long 
 line of the dockyard and arsenal buildings, and the barracks, 
 which have been rendered uninhabitable on the near side by our 
 fire — the gi-eat shears, the floating bridge across the roads to 
 the north side, the two lines of men-of-war — the " Twelve 
 Apostles" and five two-deckers, frigates, and steamers. Then, 
 on our right of the Redan lie the Malakhoff, Mamelon, and the 
 White Works, and Mount Sapouue peering over them, and thou 
 the north side — the citadel, the Russian camp, Inkermann, its 
 batteries, and the plateau of tlie Belbek forming the background, 
 which is defined still further by a strip of blue sea. 
 
 From Cathcart's-hill, therefore, on the right front of the 
 Fourth Division camp, one can gain an admirable view of certain 
 l^oints of the position from the sea on the left to our extreme 
 right at Inkermann. That advantage is, however, rarely obtain- 
 able when there is any heavy firing, as the smoke generally 
 hangs in thick clouds between the earthworks, not to be easily 
 dispelled, excepting by the aid of a brisk wind. If one of the 
 few persons who were in the secret of the opening of the French 
 batteries had been on Cathcart's-hill on the morning of the 5th 
 he would have beheld then, just before half-past five o'clock, 
 the whole of this scene marked out in keen detail in the clear 
 morning air. The men in our trenches can be seen sitting 
 down behind the traverses, or strolling about in the rear of the 
 parapets. Small trains of animals and files of men may be con- 
 tinually observed passing over the ground between the trenches 
 and tlie camp, and the only smoke that catches the eye rises 
 from the kettles of the soldiery, or from the di.«charge of a riilc
 
 THE FRENCH OPEN FIRE, 129 
 
 in the advanced works. On the left, however, it is seen that 
 the French trenches are crowded witjj men, and that their 
 batteries ai'e all manned, though the occupants keep well out 
 of sight of the enemy, and the mantlets and screens are yet 
 down before the muzzles of some of their guns. The men 
 beneath the parapets swarm like bees. A few grey-coated 
 Russians may be noticed repairing the Avorks of the Flagstaff 
 Battery, or engaged in throwing up a new work, which pro- 
 mises to be of considerable strength, in front of the second line 
 of their defences. Suddenly, close to the Ba.stion du Mat, 
 along the earthen curtain between Nos. 7 and 8 Bastions three 
 jets of flame spring up into the air and hurl up as many pillars 
 of earth and dust, a hundred feet high, which are warmed 
 into ruddy hues by the horizontal rays of the sun. The 
 French have exploded three fougasses to blow in the counter- 
 scarp, and to serve as a signal to their men. In a moment, 
 from the sea to the Dockyard-creek, a stream of fii-e three 
 miles in length seems to run like a train from battery to battery, 
 and fleecy, curling, rich white smoke ascends, as though the 
 earth had suddenly been rent in the throes of an earthquake, and 
 was vomiting forth the material of her volcanoes. The lines of 
 the French trenches were at once covered as though the very 
 clouds of Heaven had settled down upon them and were whirled 
 about in spiral jets, in festoons, in clustering bunches, in columns 
 and in sheets, all commingled, involved together, and uniting 
 as it were by the vehement flames beneath. The crash of such a 
 tremendous fire must have been appalling, but the wind and 
 the peculiar condition of the atmosphere did not permit the 
 soimd to produce anj- great effect on our camp ; in the city for 
 the same reason the noise must have been terrific and horrible. 
 The iron stomi tore over the Eussian Unes, tossing up, as if in 
 sport, jets of earth and dust, rending asunder gabions, and 
 " squelching" the parapets, or dashing in amongst the houses 
 and ruins in their rear. The terrible files of this fl3'ing army 
 extending about four miles in front, rushed across the plain, carry- 
 ingdeathand terror in their train, sv\'ept with heavyand irresistible 
 wings the Russian flanks, and searched their centre to the core. 
 A volley so startling, simultaneous, and tremendously powerful 
 Wits probably never yet discharged since cannon were intro- 
 duced. The Russians seemed for a while utterly paralysed. 
 Their batteries were not manned with strength enough to 
 enable them to reply to such an overlapping and crushing fire ; 
 VOL. II. K
 
 130 TUE FINAL BOMBAUDMENT. 
 
 but tlie French, leaping to their o-uns with astounding energy, 
 rapiditj^ and vigour, ^ept on filling the very air with the 
 hurtling storm, and sent it in unbrolven fiuy against their 
 enemies. More than 200 pieces of artilleiy of large calibre, 
 admirably served and well directed, played incessaiitlj- upon the 
 hostile lines. In a few moments a great veil of smoke — " a 
 war-cloud rolling dun" — spread from the guns on the left of 
 Sebastopol ; but the roar of the shot did not cease, and the 
 cannonade now pealed forth in great irregular bursts, now died 
 away into hoarse mm-murs, again swelled up into tumult, or 
 rattled from one extremity to the other of the line like the 
 file-fire of infantry. Stone walls went down before the 
 discharge at once, but the earthworks yawned to receive sliot 
 and shell alike. However, so swift and incessant was the 
 passage of these missiles through the embrasures and along the 
 tops of the parapets that the enemy had to lie close, and sc.ircely 
 dare show themselves in the front line of their defences. For a 
 few minutes the French had it ail their own way, and appeared 
 to be on the point of sweeping away the place without resistance. 
 This did not last long, as after they had fired a few rounds from 
 each of their numerous guns, the Russian artilleiymen got to 
 •work, and began to return the fii'e. They made good practice, 
 but fired slowly and with precision, as if they could not afford 
 to throw away an ounce of powder. The French were stimulated 
 rather than restrained by such a reply to their astonishing volleys, 
 and sent their shot with greater rapiditj' along the line of the 
 defences, and among the houses of the town. But what were 
 ■we doing all this time ? What was our admirable Naval Brigade 
 and our gallant siege train doing ? They were just working 
 their guns at a quiet rate, but they maintained their usual de- 
 structive and solid " hammering" away at the i'aces of the IJcdan 
 and of the MalakholF, and aided our invaluable allies by keeping 
 up a regular shell practice on the batteries from the Creek to 
 the Eedan. Inow two or tliree mortars from (lordon's, then two 
 or three mortars from Chapman's, hurled 10 and 13-inch shell 
 behind the enemy's \vorks, and coraiected the dischnrges by 
 rounds from long 32's or 68's. It is not known Avhy this evi- 
 dent want of unanimity existed, and why Ave did not open fire 
 with the same vigour and rapidity as the French. General 
 Pelissier was at our head-quarters 3'^esterday,and had an interview 
 with General Simpson, and it is not unlikely that the French Cora- 
 inauderj finding that we were not quite prepared to open fu-o with
 
 EFFECTS OF THE FIRE. 131 
 
 effect, with his characteristic impetuosity, resolved on dams; so 
 himself, and to rely upon his own numerous and heavy ordnance 
 and abundance of ammunition. I am by no means prepared to 
 say that we wci"e not ready to open on the day ag-reed upon, nor 
 do I insinuate that thei'e was the smallest want of unanimity 
 between the Generals, but it is a fact that we had not the guns 
 and ammvmition required for opening a three days' fire of 
 intensity, and that if we had plenty of a certain sort of materiel 
 and missiles, the requisite quantity of those of a different, hut 
 useful description, was wanting. Our allies must appreciate tlie 
 readiness with which we have on several occasions lent them 
 guns, shot, and shell, and are too generous, while remembering 
 such services, to fmd fault with us for not having accumulated 
 such masses of stores as they had collected. After all, it may 
 turn out that for military reasons the Generals resolved to let 
 the French open first, and that their inaugural cannonade was a 
 matter of arrangement. Although there are some complaints of 
 deficiency in the engineering depai-tment, I have never heard it 
 said that our artillery, so long as the supplies of powder, shot, 
 and guns lasted, were not ready to meet any enemy. It un- 
 fortunately happens at this juncture that General Jones, who 
 has always displayed great energy in directing the siege works, 
 is unwell. In fact, he cannot go out, on accomit of a severe at- 
 tack of rheumatism, which almost cripples him. 
 
 But all this has nothing to do with the siege, and in the 
 mean time our allies are pounding away with exceeding warmth 
 at everything within range of their guns. Our Quarry Battery, 
 armed with two mortars and eight cohorns, just 400 yaids 
 below the Redan, plies the suburb in the rear of the Malakhoff 
 vigorousl}'^ Vv'ith bombs, and keeps the top of the Redan clear 
 v^ith round shot and grape. Redan and Malakhoff are alike 
 silent, ragged, and torn. At most the Redan fires three 
 guns, and the adjoining batteries are equally parsimonious- 
 The parapets ai-e all pitted with shot and shell, and the 
 sides of the embrasures greatly injured, so that the gabions 
 are sticking out, and dislodged in all directions. There is no 
 more of that fine polishing and of that cabinet-maker's work 
 which the Russians bestowed on their batteries ; our constant 
 fire by night, the efforts of our riflemen, and incessant shell- 
 ing have rather checked their assiduous anxiety as to external 
 appearance. After two hours and a-half of furious firing, the 
 artillerymen of our allies suddenly ceased, in order to let their 
 k2
 
 132 THE FINAL BOMBARDMENT. 
 
 guns cool and to rest themselves. The Eussians crept out 
 to repair damages to their works, and shook sandbags full 
 of earth from the banquette over the outside of their parapets. 
 Their gunners also took advantage of this sudden cessation to 
 oi)cn on our sailors' batteries in the left attack, and caused us 
 some little annoyance from the " Crow's-nest." At ten o'clock, 
 however, having previously ex^Dloded some fougasses, as before, 
 the French re-opened a fire if possible more rapid and tre- 
 mendous than their first, and continued to keep it up with the 
 utmost vigour till twelve o'clock at noon, by which time the 
 Russians had only a few guns in the Flagstaff-road and 
 Garden Batteries in a position to reply. We could see 
 them in great agitation sendmg men and carts to and fro 
 across the bridge, and at nine o'clock a powerful column 
 of infantry crossed over to resist our assault, while a move- 
 ment towards Inkermann was made by the army of the 
 Belbek. Soon after our fire began, as early as six o'clock, the 
 working parties which go over to the north side every morning 
 were evidently recalled, and marched back again across the 
 bridge to the south, no doubt to be in readiness for our exjiected 
 assault. From twelve to five o'clock p.m. the firing was slack ; 
 the French then resumed their cannonade with the same astound- 
 ing vigour as at dawn and at ten o'clock, and never ceased their 
 volleys of shot and shell against the place till half-past seven, 
 Avhen darkness set in, whereupon all the mortars and heavy 
 guns, English as well as French, opened with shell against the 
 whole line of defences. A description of this scene is im- 
 possible. There was not one instant in which the shells did 
 not whistle through the air ; not a moment in which the sky 
 was not seamed by their fiery curves or illuminated by their ex- 
 plosion. Our practice was beyond all praise. Every shell burst 
 as it ought, and the lines of the llussian earthworks of the Kedan, 
 Malakhoff, and of all their batteries were rendered plainly 
 visible by the constant light of the innumerable explosions. The 
 Russians scarcely attempted a replj'. At five o'clock it was 
 observed that a frigate in the second line, near the north side, 
 Avas smoking, and, as it grew darkci', flames were seen to issue 
 from her sides. Men and officers rushed to the front, in the 
 greatest delight and excitement, and as night came on, the whole 
 vessel was enveloped in one grand blaze from stem to stern. 
 The delight of the crowd on Cathcart's hill was intense. 
 " Well, this is iiulced a sight ! to see one of those confounded
 
 RUSSIAN FRIGATE IN FLAMES. 133 
 
 slups touclieJ at last!" These, and many diflereut and stronger 
 expressions, were audible on all sides, but there were some wise 
 people who thought the liussians had set the ship on fire, or that 
 incendiaries and malcontents were at work, and one gentleman 
 even went so far as to say that he "' thought it was merely a 
 signal — may be to recall their cavalry from Eupatoria !" It is not 
 Icnown precisely how the thing was done. Some say It Avas 
 done by the French ; others, by ourselves ; and bombs, red-hot 
 shot, and rockets, have been variously named as the means by 
 which the vessel was set on fu'e. In spite of the efforts of 
 the Russians, the flames spread, and soon issued from the ports 
 and quarter-gallery. At eight o'clock the light was so great 
 that the houses of the city and the ibiis on the other side could 
 bo distinguished without difficulty. The masts stood long, 
 towering aloft like great pillars of fii'e ; but one after the other 
 they came down ; the decks fell in about ten o'clock, and at 
 midnight the frigate had burnt to the water's edge. 
 
 The armament of our batteries on the occasion of opening 
 this bombardment consisted of thirty-four 13-inch mortars, 
 twenty-seven 10-inch ditto, ten 8-inch ditto, twenty 5|-inch 
 cohorns — total, ninety-one mortars. On the I7tli of October 
 we had but ten mortars, and they were 10- inch. We had also two 
 Lancasters ; no 24-pounders. — (On I7tli of October one-half of 
 our guns nearly were 2-1-pounders). Sixty-one 32-pounders as 
 compared with seven on 17th October, thirty-seven 8-Inch guns 
 as compared with sixteen, seven 10-inch guns as compared with 
 nine, six 68-pounders, and three 9-pounders for the heads of the 
 saps. We threw 12,721 bombs into the town as compared with 
 27 13 in the first bombardment ; and we fired 89,540 shot 
 against the place as compared with 19,879 on the same date. 
 In the left attack our batteries had been advanced 2500 feet 
 towards the front of the old line of fire, but it was Impossible to 
 make any further advance by sap for the purpose of assault, as 
 the ver3'- steep ravine by which the Woronzoff' road sweeps into 
 the town ran below the plateau on which the attack was placed, 
 and separated it from the Redan. The old parallel of the attack, 
 wherein our batteries Nos. 3, 4, and 5 Avere placed at the 
 ridiculous distance of 4000 feet from the Redan, and our 
 batteries Nos. 9 and 12 at the same distance from the Flagstaff 
 Bastion works, was now a mere base from which the advanced 
 works had proceeded. The second parallel was 15,000 feet in 
 front of it, and In that parallel were batteries Nos. 10 and 14,
 
 134 THE FINAL BOMBAUDMENT. 
 
 still 2500 feet from the parapet of the Eedan. The third 
 parallel was about 700 feet in front of the second ; and as it 
 was found that we could not hope to advance much beyond that 
 position, owing to the nature of the ground, our batteries were 
 placed more towards the proper left face of the Flagstaff Battery, 
 and towards the Garden Battery in rear of it. In this parallel, 
 batteries Nos. 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15 were opened. Our fourth 
 parallel, which was unarmed, was about 600 feet in advance of 
 the third, and was filled witli infantry and riflemen, who kept 
 up a constant fire in the place, more particularly at night. The 
 ravine in which the Woronzoff road is made runs between our 
 left and right attack, and separates them completely. The 
 right attack, which is by far the most important, was originally 
 commenced at the distance of 4500 feet from the IJedan, and of 
 more than 5000 feet from the Malakhoff. It contained batteries 
 Nos. 1, 3, 3, 4, 5 ; at its right was the old Lancaster battery 
 detached on No. 11 ; and in an advanced parallel on the left 
 flank of No. 12 was battery No. 10. In the approach from the 
 1st to the 20th parallel was battery No. 7. The second 
 parallel is more than 1000 feet in front of the first parallel ; and 
 it contained batteries Nos. 9, 14, 12, 6, and 15. The battery 
 No. 8 was in the third parallel, which was a few hundred feet 
 in advance of the second. The fourth parallel, whicli com- 
 municates with the Quarries, is about 1200 leet in advance of 
 the third parallel. In the Quarries are the batteries Nos. 16 
 and 17. Tlie fifth parallel, from which the assault is to take 
 place, is about 300 feet in front of the Quarries ; and there is a 
 feeble attempt at a sixth parallel a few yards in advance, which 
 was in such bad ground that it was of little use and could not 
 be continued. 
 
 Thursday, September 6. 
 
 Last night a steady fire was kept up all along the front, with 
 the view of preventing the Russians from repairing damages. 
 At ten p.m., orders were sent to our batteries to open the 
 following morning, as soon there was a good light, but they 
 were limited to fifty rounds each gun. At 5.30 a.m. the whole 
 of tiie batteries from Quarantine to Inkermann began their 
 Are with a grand crash. There were three breaks or lulls in 
 the tempest ; one from half-past eight till ten ; another from 
 twelve till five ; and the third from half-past six till seven — 
 during these intervals the fire was comparatively slack. 
 
 The agitation in the town was considerable throughout the
 
 THE FOE PEUVLEXED. 135 
 
 day ; and the enemy seemed to be greatly distressed. They 
 are strengthening their position on the north side — throwing up 
 batteries, dragging guns into position, and preparing to defend 
 themselves should they be obliged to leave the city. They 
 evince a disposition to rely on the north side, and are removing 
 their stores by the large bridge of* pontoons, and by the second 
 and smaller bridge of boats to the Karabalnaia. Notwithstanding 
 the large number of men in the town, the enemy still show 
 inconsiderable strength from Inkermann to Mackenzie ; and 
 General Pelissier and General Simpson have received intelligence 
 which leads them to believe that the enemy meditates another 
 attack, as the line of the Tchernaya is the only means of avert- 
 ing the fall of the place. Gur losses have been heavy, and the 
 enemy do not cease throwing up long-range shot to disturb the 
 camp, some of which do mischief. Gn the 3rd, Captain Pechell, 
 77th, and eight rank and tile were killed, Lieutenant Chatficld, 
 49th, and fifty-one rank and file were wounded. On the 4th, 
 Captain Anderson, 31st Uegiment, Assistant Engineer, and six 
 rank and file were killed, and fifty-five non-commissioned officers 
 and rank and file wounded. Gn the 5th, Captain Verschoyle, 
 Grenadier Guards, and Lieutenant Phillips, 56th Regiment, 
 were slightly wounded; thirteen non-commissioned officers and 
 rank and fide were killed; and thirty-seven non-commissioned 
 officers and men were wounded. Gn the 6th, Captain E. G. Snow, 
 K.A., a brave and much esteemed officer, was killed in the 
 batteries bj' a round shot, fourteen men were killed, and forty- 
 six were wounded. The Naval Brigade lost one man killed, and 
 had nine men wounded. 
 
 Friday, September 7. 
 
 The bombardment v/as renewed last night at sunset, and con- 
 tinued without intermission till an hour before daybreak, and 
 the musketry fire was most tremendous and unremitting, for the 
 orders to the trench guards were to keep up a perpetual fusil- 
 lade on the face of the Russian works, and about 150,000 rounds 
 have been expended each night since the opening of the bom- 
 bardment. This morning at daybreak, the cannonade was re- 
 opened and continvxed as before — the Russians made no reply 
 on the centre, but their Inkermann batteries across the harbour 
 fired briskl)' on the French right attack, and distressed our 
 allies considerably. A strong wind from the north blew clouds 
 of dust from the town, and carried back the smoke of the bat- 
 teries, so that it was very difficult to ascertain the effiect of the
 
 13G THE FINAL BOMBARDMENT. 
 
 foe, but now and then the veil opened, and at each interval the 
 amount of destruction disclosed was more evident and appalling. 
 At midday, a council of generals was held at om* Head-Quarters, 
 at which General Pelissier and General de la Marmora attended, 
 and it is known that our engineers have been in consultation 
 with the French, so that the assault is speedily expected. After 
 the council broke up, orders were sent to the surgeons to clear 
 out the hospitals of patients, and prepare for the reception of 
 wounded ; and it gradually oozed out that the assault will take 
 place to-morrow. The Guards will occupy the right trenches 
 to-night, and will be relieved by the Highlanders in the morn- 
 ing — the attack will be made by the Light and Second Division. 
 At 3"30, a two-decker was set on fire, and continued to bum 
 all night with such brightness and ardour that it is supposed 
 she contained stores. The glare of the foe through the clouds 
 of dust and smoke presented a very remarkable and ominous 
 appearance. As soon as this fire broke out, a Russian steamer 
 began to tow all the vessels near her to the dockyard harbour, 
 and to the north side, but the men-of-war and steam-frigates 
 are still moored in lines, with their broadsides bearing on the 
 rear of the defences. A bright Hame broke out in the rear of 
 the Redan in the afternoon, and another fire was visible in the 
 town over the Woronzoff road at a later period of the evening. 
 At 11 p.m., a tremendous explosion took place in the town, but 
 it could not be ascertained exactly where or how it occui'red. 
 At dusk, the cannonade ceased, and the bombardment recom- 
 menced — the thunder of the bombs bursting from the sea-shore 
 to the Tchernaya sounded like the roll of giant musketry — the 
 Russians replied feebly, threw bouquets into the French trenches, 
 and showers of vertical gi-ape into ours, and lighted up the 
 works now and then with fire-balls and carcasses. I much regi-et 
 to state, that Captain John Buckley, Scots Fusilier Guards, was 
 killed in the evening as he was posting his sentries in the 
 ravine between the Malakhoff and the Redan in front of our 
 advanced trench of the right attack. It has been a disastrous 
 spot for us. Major M'Gowan, 93rd Regiment, was carried olT 
 here, and Captain Drummond was killed soon afterwards. Captain 
 Buckley, who has now fallen in the discharge of his duty, was 
 a young officer of zeal and promise. He was devoted to his 
 profession, and although ho was wounded so severely at the 
 Alma that he could have had every excuse and right to go 
 home, he refused to do so, and as soon as he came out of hos- 
 pital, on board a man-of-war, in wliich he was present when
 
 THE TROOPS UXDEIi ARMS. 137 
 
 the attack of the 17th October was made, he returned to his 
 regiment and shared its privations during the winter of '54-5. 
 In the tiro to-day and this night, wo lost one ofHcer, eleven 
 rank and tile killed, and forty-eight rank and file wounded. 
 
 In addition to the burning ship and the fires in the town, 
 a bright light was observed at the head of the great shears of 
 the Dockyai'd about four o'clock in the afternoon, and it con- 
 tinued to burn fiercely throughout the night. It was probably 
 intended to light up the Dockyard below, or to serve as a signal, 
 but it was for some time imagined that the shears had been set 
 on fire by a shell. A strong corps of Sardinians marched from 
 Fedoinkire and Komara this afternoon, and crossed over to the 
 French left attack, on the line from the Quarantine to the Bas- 
 tion Centrale. The night was passed in a fever of expectation 
 and anxiety amid the roar of the bombardment, while the wind 
 blew in deafening bursts back on the allied camp. 
 
 Saturday, Septemhcr 8, 11 a.m. 
 
 All comers from Balaklava and the rear of the camp are 
 stopped by a line of sentries posted fi'om Inkermann to the sea. 
 Another cordon of cavalry in front prevents any communica- 
 tion with Cathcart's Hill or the Picket Houses in advance of the 
 camp. Staff-officers, and those furnished with passes, can alone 
 get through the line. The excitement is very great. The fire, 
 which recommenced as usual at dawn, is of the most tremendous 
 character, and has been sustained with appalling force and vigour. 
 The Fourth Division is now under arms, and the Third Divi- 
 sion is assembling in front of its camp. The assault will take 
 place at noon. Many officers arc already at Cathcart's Hill, 
 and my pass will enable me to join them, and to pass the 
 cordon as f;ir as I please. 
 
 The French on our right had five parallels from the jtfamelon 
 up to the ]\Ialakhoff, from the counterscarp of which they were 
 about twenty metres distant. They were about one hundred 
 yards from the No. 2 Bastion in the Little Redan on their ex- 
 treme right, and on our left their etonnoirs were within six or 
 seven yards of the ditch of the outer works of the Bastion du 
 Mat (Flagstaff Battery), and their advanced trench, opposite the 
 right of the Central Bastion, was not more than eighty yards 
 from the counterscarp. The ground between our fifth parallel 
 and the salient of the Eedan is tolerably flat, but it is torn up 
 by the craters of shells, and the enemy could at all times depress 
 their guns to cover it. By their heavy fire they caused oui*
 
 138 CAPTURE OF THE MALAKHOFF. 
 
 working parties severe losses just before the final bombardment. 
 From the 3rd to the 6th, we had 3 ofHcers, 3 sergeants, and. 
 40 rank and file killed ; 3 officers, 9 sergeants, and 180 rank 
 and file wounded. Captain Pechell, 77th, fell on the 3rd 
 September ; Captain Anderson, Acting Engineer, was killed on 
 the 4th ; and Captain Snow, II.A., was killed on the 6th. On 
 the 3rd, Lieutenant Chatfield, 49th ; on the 5th, Captain 
 Verschoyle, Grenadier Guards, and Lieutenant Phillips, 56th 
 Eegiment, were wounded, all slightly. Our trench guards kept 
 up a tremendous fire on the place, and in the two attacks about 
 150,000 rounds of ammunition were expended between each 
 relief. On the 7th September, we had 1 officer, 11 rank and 
 file killed, and 48 rank and file wounded. The officer was 
 Captain Buckley, Scotch Fusilier Guards, who was shot while 
 posting his sentries in front of the Eedan. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 CAPTURE OF THE MALAKHOFF AND ATTACK oy 
 THE EEDAN. 
 
 Reflections on the long-expected triumpli — Eecapitulation — Day of the 
 assault — Disposition of the forces — Amateurs — Tartars, Turks, and 
 Eupatorians evince great anxiety to obtain a good view of the assault 
 — The French attack the Malakhofl^ — The Russians taken by surprise 
 oflTer little resistance to the first attack — Desperate struggle of seven 
 hours' duration — Signal given for tlie English assault upon the Redan 
 — Impeifect arrangements — Gallant conduct of Colonel Unett — Fury 
 of the assault — Casualties — Bravery of Captain Fyers — Previous 
 career of that officer — Advance of the storming party — Blunders — 
 Conflicting statements — Sudden panic — Colonel AVindham's gal- 
 lantry — Impression among the men that the Redan was mined — 
 Elibrts of the officers to encourage their troops — Indomitable per- 
 severance of Colonel AVindham — Urgent appeal for reinforcements — 
 Devotion of the officers — Gallantry of the men — Wonderful escape of 
 Colonel AVindliam — Tlie Russians bring up a field-piece — Colonel 
 WindlKim goes for reinforcements — The Russians having assembled in 
 great strength, charge with tlic bayonet — Fearful struggle — Retreat of 
 the Engli.-h — I'errible slaughter on both sides — Success of the French 
 in the MalakhofT — Causes of our failure in the attack upon the Redan 
 — Difhculty of obtaining accurate information — Plans for the renewal 
 of the assault — Losses in these operations. 
 
 Monday, Sepinnhcr 10. 
 
 The contest on which the eyes of Europe have been turned so 
 long is nearly decided — the event on which the hopes of so many
 
 FALL OF THE SOUTH SIDE. 139 
 
 mighty empires depended, all but determined. Sel)asto]»ol is 
 in iiames ! The Heet, the object of so umch diplomatic- con- 
 troversy, and of so many bloody struggles, has disappeared in 
 the deep ! One more great act of carnage has been added to 
 the tremendous but glorious tragedy, of which the whole 
 world, from the most civilized nations down to the most bar- 
 barous hordes of the East, has been the anxious and excited 
 audience. Amid shouts of victory and cries of despair — in 
 frantic rejoicing and passionate sorrow — a pall of black smoke, 
 streaked by the fiery flashings of exploding fortresses, descends 
 upon the stage, on which has been depicted so many varied 
 traits of human misery and of human greatness, such high 
 endurance and calm courage, such littleness and weakness — 
 across which have stalked characters which history may here- 
 after develope as largely as the struggle in which they were 
 engaged, and swell to gigantic proportions, or which she may 
 dwarf into pettiest dimensions, as unworthy of the part they 
 played. A dull, strange silence, broken at distant intervals by 
 the crash of citadels and palaces as they are blown into dust, 
 succeeds to the incessant dialogue of the cannon which have 
 spoken so loudly and so angrily throughout an entire year. 
 Tired armies, separated from each other by a sea of fires, rest 
 on their arms, and gaze with varied emotions on all that 
 remains of the object of their conflicts. How trite all these 
 announcements appear ! How disheai-tening it is to the writer 
 to feel that all he is describing is known in England, and has 
 been discussed and canvassed in every homestead ere he can sit 
 down to tell the story, and that by the time his letters reach 
 those for whom they are intended, all that which now appears to 
 him as novel and recent as it is interesting and impoi'tant, wiU 
 be a twice-told tale ! To every one out here the occurrences of 
 the last few da^'s seem momentous, startling, and prodigious. 
 Time will show whether we duly appreciate them. On Satur- 
 day we felt that the great success of our valiant allies was 
 somewhat tarnished by our own failure, and were doubtful 
 whether the Eussians would abandon all hope of retaking the 
 Malakhoft". On Sunday, ere noon, we were walking about the 
 streets of Sebastopol and gazing upon its ruins. The army is 
 now in suspense as to its future. The south side of the city is 
 in the hands of the allies. On the north side the great citadel 
 and numerous regular forts, backed by enormous earthworks, 
 and defended by a large army, bid us defiance across a narrow
 
 140 CAPTUKE OF THE MALAKIIOFF. 
 
 strip of Avater, and Uussia may boast that she has not j'et lost 
 Sebastopol. The allied iieet remains outside, paralysed by Fort 
 Constantine and its dependencies, and every one is going about 
 asking, '* What are we to do now ?" 
 
 The last and decisive cannonade was, as the world knows ever 
 so long ago, begun on the morning of Wednesday, September 5, 
 by the French, against the Russian right, consisting of the 
 Quarantine Batteries, the Bastion Centrale, and the Bastion du 
 ]\iat ; it was continued with great vigour and effect, and followed 
 at night by a devastating bombardment, in which all the allied 
 batteries joined ; during the latter a frigate was fired by a 
 French shell and sunk. On the morning of the 6th, the Eng- 
 lish and French together opened the cannonade, beneath which 
 the Russian batteries were almost broken to pieces, and to 
 which they coidd not answer. In the evening the bombard- 
 Bient was renewed and kept up all night ; a fire appeared behind 
 the Redan, and the enemy seemed by their constant signallmg, 
 to be in much uneasiness. It was observed that great quantities 
 of forage were being sent across the bridge from the north to 
 the south side, although there were no cavalry in the latter. On 
 the 7th the cannonade was continued in salvoes, as before, and 
 it was remarked that the town began to present in a most un- 
 mistakeable manner traces of the terrible effects of the nightly 
 bombardment. Nearly every house within range was split or 
 in ruins. The bridge between the north and the south side was 
 much crowded all day with men and carts passing to and fro, 
 and large convoys were seen entering and leaving the town at 
 the north side. Towards evening the head of the great dock- 
 yard shears, so long a prominent object from our batteries, 
 ■caught fire, and burnt fiercely in the high Avind, for it had 
 blown a gale all day. A two-decker was set on fire by the 
 French sliells, and destroyed ; and a steamer was busily employed 
 towing a large dismasted frigate to the dockyard, out of range. 
 In the middle of the day there was a council of Generals, and 
 at two o'clock it became generally known that the allies would 
 assault the place at noon on the 8th, after a vigorous cannonade 
 and bombardment. The hour was well selected, as it had been 
 ascertained that the Russians were accustomed to indulge in a 
 siesta about that time. In the course of the night there was 
 -an explosion behind the Redan. And now comes the memorable
 
 THE ASASULT. HI 
 
 DAY OF THE ASSAULT. 
 
 Saturday, Septemhcr s. 
 The weather changed suddenly yesterday, and this morning it 
 became bitterly cold. A biting wind right from the north side 
 of Sebastopol blew intolerable clouds of harsh dust into our 
 faces. The sun was obscured ; and the sky became of a leaden 
 wintry grey. Early in the morning a strong force of cavalry, 
 under the command of Colonel Hodge, received orders to move 
 up to the fi'ont and form a chain of sentries in front of Cathcart's- 
 hill, and all along our lines. No person Avas allowed to pass 
 this boundary, excepting staff ofKcers, or those provided with 
 a pass. Another line of sentries in the rear of the camps was 
 intended to stop stragglers and idlers from Balaklava, the object 
 of these arrangements being in all probability to prevent the 
 Russians gathering any intimation of our attack, from the 
 imusual accumulation of people on the look-out hills. If so, it 
 Avould have been better to have kept the cavalry more in the 
 rear, and not to have displayed to the enemy a line of Hussars, 
 Lancers, and Dragoons, along our front. At 11*30 the High- 
 land Brigade, under Brigadier Cameron, marched up from 
 Kamara and took up its position in reserve at the Right Attack, 
 and the Guards, also in reserve, were posted on the same side 
 of the Woronzofl'-road. The first brigade of the Fourth Division 
 served the trenches of the Left Attack the night before, and 
 remained in them. The second brigade of the Fourth Division 
 was in reserve. The Guards, who served the trenches of the 
 Left Attack, and only marched oat that morning, were turned 
 out again after arriving at their camp, and resumed their place 
 with alacrity. The Third Division, massed on the hill-side 
 before their camp, were also in reserve, in readiness to move 
 down by the Left Attack in case their services were required. 
 General Pelissier, during the night, collected about 30,000 men 
 in and about the Mamelon, to form the storming columns for 
 the IMalakhoff and Little Eedan, and to provide the necessary 
 reserves. The French were reinforced by 5000 Sardinians, 
 who marched up from the Tchernaya last night. It was 
 arranged that the French should attack the Malakhoif at noon, 
 and, as soon as their attack began, we were to assault the Redan. 
 Soon afterwards, strong columns of French were, I vuiderstand, 
 to make a diversion on the left and luenace the line of the 
 Bastion du Mat, Ccntrale and Quarantine Bastions ; but I do not
 
 142 CAPTURE OF THE IIALAKHOFF. 
 
 believe it was intended by General Pelissier to operate serioiisly 
 against tins part of the town, the possession of which, in a 
 military point of view, would be of minor importance to that 
 of the Malakholf. The cavalry sentries were posted at 8'30 a.m. 
 At lO'oO a.m. the Second and the Light Division moved down 
 to the trenches, and were placed in the advanced parallels as 
 quietly and unostentatiously^ as possible. About the same hour, 
 CJcneral Simpson and staff repaired to the second parallel of the 
 Green-hill Battery, where the Engineer-ofBcei's had placed them 
 for the day. Sir Harry Jones, too ill to move hand or foot, 
 nevertheless insisted on being carried down to witness the 
 assault, and was borne to the trenches on a litter, in which he 
 remained till all was over. It was, as I have said, a bitter 
 cold day, and a stranger would have been astonished at the 
 aspect of the British Generals as they viewed the assault. The 
 Commander-in-Chief, General Simpson, sat in the trench, with 
 his nose and eyes just facing the cold and dust, and a great coat 
 drawn up about his head to protect him against both. General 
 Jones wore a red nightcap, and reclined on a litter, muffled 
 up in clothes, and Sir Eichard Airey, the Quartermaster- 
 General, had a white pocket-handlierchief tied over his cap and 
 ears, and fastened under his neck, which detracted somewhat 
 from a martial and belligerent aspect. The Duke of New- 
 castle was stationed at Cathcart's-hill in the early part of 
 the day, and afterwards moved off to the right to the Picket- 
 house look-out over the Woronzoff-road. All the amateurs and 
 travelling gentlemen, who rather abound here just now, Avere in 
 a state of great excitement, and dotted the plain in eccentric 
 attire, which revived olden memories of Cowes, and yachting, 
 and sea-bathing. They were, moreover, engaged in a series of 
 siibtle manoeuvres down in the ravines, to turn the flank of un- 
 wary sentries, in order to get to the front, and their success was 
 most creditable to their enterprise and ingenuity. 
 
 The Tartars, Turks, and Eupatorians were singularly per- 
 turbed for such placid people, and thronged every knoll which 
 commanded the slightest glimpse of the place. At lOdo (Ge- 
 neral Pelissier and his staff went up to the French Observatory 
 on the right. The French trenches were crowded with men as 
 close as they could pack, and we could, through the breaks in 
 the clouds of dust which were most irritating, see our troops, 
 all ready in their trenches. The cannonade languished pur- 
 posely towards noon ; but the Kussians, catching sight of the
 
 THE FRENCH IN THE MALAKHOFF. 143 
 
 cavalry and troops in front, began to shell Cathcart's-liill and 
 the heights, and the bombs and long ranges disturbed the 
 equanimity of some of the spectators by bursting with loud 
 "thuds" right over their heads, and sending '"the gunners' 
 pieces" sharply about them. .Aiiter hours of suspense, the 
 moment came at last. A five minutes bel'ore twelve o'clock the 
 French, like a swarm of bees, issued forth from their trenches 
 close to the doomed Malakhoff, scrambled up its face, and were 
 through the embrasures in the twinkling of an eye. They crossed 
 the seven metres of gi'ound which separated them from the enemy 
 at a few bounds — they drifted as lightly and quickly as autumn 
 leaves before the wind, battalion after battalion, into the embra- 
 sures, and in a minute or two after the head of their column 
 issued from the ditch the tricolor was floating over the 
 Kornilofi' Bastion. The musketry was very feeble at first 
 — indeed, our allies took the Russians by surprise, and 
 very few of the latter were in the Malakhoff"; but they soon 
 recovered themselves, and from twelve o'clock till past seven 
 in the evening the French had to meet and repulse the 
 repeated attempts of the enemy to regain the worlc, when, 
 weary of the fearful slaughter of his men, who lay in thousands 
 over the exterior of the works, and, despairing of success, the 
 Muscovite General withdrew his exhausted legions, and pre- 
 pared, with admirable skill, to evacuate the place. Of the 
 French attack on the left I know but little. If intended in 
 earnest, it was not successful, and caused great less to our allies. 
 As soon as the tricolor was obsen'ed waving through the 
 smoke and dust over the parapet of the Malakholf, four rockets 
 were sent up from Chapman's attack one after another as a 
 signal for our assault upon the Redan. They were almost borne 
 back by the violence of the wind, and the silvery jets of sparks 
 they threw out on exploding were scarcely visible against the 
 raw grey sky. I take it for granted that there is no one in 
 England who is not by this time quite well acquainted with the 
 exterior of the Redan, and who does not know its shape and 
 situation. In my next letter I will endeavour to give a notion 
 of what it is like inside ; at present I have no time to describe 
 it, nor the appearance of Sebastopol, now that one can walk 
 through its flaming streets. 
 
 Now, it will be obsei'ved that, while we attacked the Redan 
 with two divisions only, a portion of each being virtually in 
 reserve, and not engaged in the afl'air at all, the French made
 
 144 ATTACK ON THE MALAKHOFF. 
 
 their assault on the Malaklioff with four divisions of the second 
 corps d'armee, the first and fovuih divisions forming- the 
 storming columns, and the third and fifth heing the support 
 with reserves of 10,0U0 men. The French had, probably, not 
 less than 30,000 men in the right attack on the 7th of Sep- 
 tember. The divisional orders for the Second Division were 
 very much the same as those for the Light Division. The cover- 
 ing party consisted of 100 men of the 3rd Bufls, under Captain 
 John Lewes, who highlj^ distinguished himself, and 100 men 
 of the Second Battalion of the Ivitle Brigade, I believe under the 
 command of poor Captain Hammond. The scaling-ladder party 
 consisted of 160 of the 3rd Bull's, under Captain Maude, whose 
 gallantry was very conspicuous throughout the affair, in addi- 
 tion to the 160 of the 97th, under the gallant and lamented 
 Welsford. The part of the force of the Second Division con- 
 sisted of 260 of the 3rd Buffs, 300 of the 41st (Welsh), 200 of 
 the 62nd, and a working party of 100 men of the 41st. The 
 rest of Windham's Brigade, consisting of the 47th and 49th, 
 were in reserve, together with Warren's Brigade of the same 
 division, of which the 30th and 55th were called into action, and 
 suffered severely. Brigadier Shirley was on board ship, but as 
 soon as he heard of the assault he resolved to join his brigade, 
 and accordingly came up to camp that very morning. Colonel 
 Unett, of the 19th Eegiment, was the senior officer in Brigadier 
 Shirley's absence, and on him would have devolved the dutj^ of 
 leading the storming column of the Light Division, had the 
 latter not returned. Colonel Unett, ignorant of the Brigadier's 
 intention to leave shipboard, had to decide with Colonel Wind- 
 ham Avho should take precedence in the attack. They tossed, 
 and Colonel Unett won. He had it in his power to say whether 
 he would go first or follow Colonel Windham. He looked at 
 the shilling, turned it over, and said, " My choice is made ; I'll 
 be the first man into the Redan." But fate willed it otherwise, 
 and he was struck down badly wounded ere he had reached the 
 abattis, although he was not leading the column. Scarcely had 
 the men left the fifth parallel when the guns on the fianks of the 
 Hedan opened upon them as they moved up rapidly to the 
 salient, in which there was of course no cannon, as the nature 
 of such a work does not permit of their being placed in that 
 particular position. In a few seconds Brigadier Shirley was 
 temporarily blinded by the dust and by earth knock(>d into his 
 eyes by a shot. He was obliged to retire, and his place was
 
 CASE OF CAPTAIN FYERS. 145 
 
 taken by Lieutenant-Colonel l]unbnr_y, of the 23r(l lA('ji;iment, 
 who was next in rank to Colonel Unett, already struelc down and 
 carried to the rear. Brigadier Van IStraubenzee received a con- 
 tusion on the face, and was also forced to leave the field. 
 Colonel Handcock fell mortally wounded in the head by a 
 bullet, and never spoke again. Captain Hammond fell dead. 
 Major AVelsford was killed on the spot, as he entered the work 
 through an embrasure. Captain Grove was severely wounded. 
 IVIany officers and men were hit and fell ; and of the commanders 
 of parties only acting Brigadier-General Windham, Captain Fj'ers, 
 Captain Lewes, and Captain Maude got untouched into the Redan, 
 and escaped scatheless from the volleys of grape and ritle balls 
 which swept the flanks of the work towards the salient. 
 
 It was a few minutes after twelve when our men left the fifth 
 parallel. The musketry commenced at once, and in less than five 
 minutes, during which the troops had to pass over abovit two 
 hundred and thii-ty yards from the nearest approach to the parapet 
 of the Redan, they had lost a large proportion of their officers, and 
 were deprived of the aid of their leaders, with such exceptions 
 as 1 have stated. The Riflemen behaved, as usual, admirably ; 
 but from their position they could not do much to reduce the 
 fire of the guns on the flanks and below the re-entering 
 angles. The bravery and coolness of that deserving, and much 
 neglected officer, Captain Fj'ers, were never more brilliantly 
 displayed, or urgently called for. And even here let me ask how 
 it is that an officer like Captain Fyers, with twentj^-one years' full 
 service, who has gone through the campaigns of Candahar and 
 Aff"ghanistan in 1841 and 1842, and was present in five actions — 
 who was at Khelat, and served with his regiment throughout 
 Nott's campaign — who was conspicuous for his gallantry at the 
 Alma, and whose conduct in the trenches has been beyond all 
 praise, is exposed to the pain and mortification of seeing young 
 men, who were scarcely born when he was a soldier, raised above 
 his head because they have had the good fortune to look at a 
 battle from a distance, or to ride in the reai- of some cautious 
 genei'al ? I know nothing of Captain Fyers's past services 
 except by Hart's Army List, by which I learn, also, that 
 be has purchased all his steps. Of his conduct at the Alma 
 !uid of his present services I hear the praise from everj'' lip. 
 It is to be hoped, at all events, that the question will not 
 do him any harm, and if it does not, it is as well that the 
 country should know how faithfully he has served her. However, 
 
 AOL. II. L
 
 i4§ ATTACK ON THE REDAN. 
 
 it is time to retmni to our storming party. As they came nearer 
 the salient, the enemy's fire became less i'atal. They crossed the 
 ahattis without difficulty; it was torn to pieces and destroyed 
 by our shot, and the men stepped over and through it with ease. 
 The Light Division made straight for the salient and projecting 
 angle ol" the Kedan, and came to the ditch, which is here about 
 fifteen feet deep. The party detailed for the purpose placed the 
 ladders, but they were found to be too short. However, had 
 there been enough of them, that would not have mattered much, 
 but some had been left behind in the hands of dead or wounded 
 men, and others had been broken, so that if one can credit the 
 statements made by those who were present there were not more 
 than six or seven ladders at the salient. The men led by their 
 officers leaped into the ditch and scrambled vip the other side, 
 ■whence they scaled the parapet almost without opposition, for 
 the few Russians who were in front ran back and got behind 
 their traverses and breastworks and opened fire upon them, as 
 soon as they saw our men on the top. To show what difi'erent 
 impressions difi'erent people receive of the same matter, let me 
 remark that one officer of rank told me the Russians visible in 
 the Redan did not exceed 150 men when he got into it, that 
 the men could have carried the breastworks at the base with the 
 greatest ease, if they had only made a rush for it. He further 
 expressed an opinion that they had no field-pieces inside the 
 breastworks from one re-entering angle to the other. A vegi- 
 mental officer, on the other hand, positively assured me that 
 when he got on the top of the parapet of the salient he saw at 
 about a liuudred yards in advance of him the breastwork with 
 gaps in it, through which were run the muzzles of field-pieces, and 
 that in the rear of it were compact masses of Russian infantry, 
 the front rank kneeling with fixed bayonets as if prepared to 
 receive a charge of cavalry, while the two rear ranks over them 
 kept up a sharp and destructive fire upon our men. The only 
 way to reconcile these discrepancies is to suppose that the first 
 spoke of the earliest stage of the assault, and that the latter re- 
 ferred to a later period when the Russians may have opened 
 embrasures in the breastwork, having been reinforced by the 
 fugitives from the MalakholF, and by the troops behind the 
 barracks in its rear. Lamentable as it no doubt is, and incre- 
 dible almost to those who know how well the British soldier 
 generally behaves in presence of the enemy, the men, when they 
 reached the parapet, were seized by some strange infatuation, and
 
 THE ADVANCE. M7 
 
 began loading and file-firing, instead of fiallowing their officers, 
 who were now falling fast, for they rushed on in front and tried to 
 stimulate their soldiers by their example. Notwithstanding the 
 popular prejudice to the contrary, most men stand fire much 
 better than the bayonet — they will keep up a fusillade a few paces 
 oft' much sooner than they will close with an enemy. It is difficult 
 enough somrtimes to get cavalry to charge if they can find any 
 decent excuse to lay by their swords and take to pistol and 
 carabine, with which they are content to pop away for ever ; and 
 when cover of any kind is near at hand, a trench-bred infantry- 
 man finds the charms of the cartridge quite irresistible. The small 
 partj^ of the 90th and 97th, much diminished, went on gallantly 
 towards the breastwork, but they were too weak to force it, and 
 they had to retire and get behind the traverses, at which part 
 men of diiferent regiments had already congregated, and were 
 keeping up a brisk fire on the I\i;ssians, whose heads were just 
 visible above the breastwork. The 77th Regiment had furnished 
 1(50 men for the ladder party, and 200 for the storming pai*ty. 
 The former, under the command of Major Welsford, were to 
 proceed to the advanced parallel, and the latter, under the 
 command of Lieut. -Colonel Handcock, were to be in the fifth 
 parallel. At 5 a.m. the regiment paraded and marched off. 
 Eight men were told off" to each ladder, and they had orders to 
 leave the trench when the appointed signal was made from the 
 Malakhoff". They were to be preceded by 100 of the Eiile 
 Brigade, and by some Sappers and Miners to cut down the 
 abattis, and they were to be followed by IGO of the 3rd Buff's, 
 with twenty ladders also. The storming party was to follow 
 the ladder party. A few minutes after twelve. Major Welsford, 
 seeing the signal flying from the Malakhoff", gave the word — 
 " Ladders to the front !" The men instantly ran out of the 
 parallel towards the salient of the Redan, and at the same time. 
 Colonel Handcock, with his 200 storm ers of the 97th, and 100 
 of the 90th left the parallel. The ladders were managed with 
 difficulty, but on entering the place there was little or no 
 resistance. However, the Russians were soon roused out of 
 their casemates, and flocked to the traverses, from which they 
 kept up a heavy fire on the men getting over the parapet or 
 through the embrasures. Thus it happened that so many were 
 killed and wounded, that no sufficient force was left of the fir.st 
 an-ivals to make a rush across the open space which lay between 
 the salient and the traverses. By a rapidly increasing flanking 
 l2
 
 148 ATTACK ON THE REDAN, 
 
 and direct fire, converging on the salient, the Russians dimi- 
 nished our force ; and as we were weakened they were strengtli- 
 ened by parties from botli re-entering angles. The 3rd Buffs 
 and 41st parties came in through the embrasvires immediately 
 after the 97th and 90th, till the enemy made their rush, and 
 drove the English into the angle, and finally over the parapet 
 to the exterior slope, where men of different regiments of the 
 Light and Second Divisions were closely packed together firing 
 into the Redan as long as their ammunition lasted, and as long 
 as supplies were handed from those in rear to the front. One 
 hour and a half had elapsed, the Russians having cleared the 
 Redan, but not yet being in possession of the parapets, when 
 they made a second charge with bayonets under a heavy fire of 
 musketry, and throwing great quantities of large stones, and 
 grape, and small round-shot, drove those in front back on the 
 men in the rear, who were thrown into the ditch. The gabions 
 in the parapet also gave way, and rolled down with those upon 
 them ; and the men in the rear, thinking all was lost, retired 
 precipitately into the fifth parallel. A party of the 30th advanced 
 from this parallel just as Colonel Windham was asking for rein- 
 forcements, and ran up to the salient of the Redan, where they 
 suffered severe loss. The leader of- the ladder party Avas killed 
 by a gun fired as he entered the embrasure ; Captain Sibthorpo 
 was hit in two places ; Lieutenant Fitzgerald and Ensign Hill 
 were wounded ; Lieut. -Colonel Legh escaped unhurt ; Lieut.- 
 Colonel Handcock was mortally wounded ; Captain Hutton's 
 body was found in the White Blogs on the 10th September ; poor 
 M'Gregor fell, inter prlmos, inside the Redan ; Captain Lumley, 
 Avho shot two Russians in the angle on entering, was badly 
 wounded ; and Lieutenant Goodenough died of his wounds soon 
 after ; Captain AVoods and Lieutenant Browne were also hit, and 
 Lieutenant Wliitehead was alone untouched, — so that the 97th 
 Regiment had five officers killed and six wounded, out of a 
 complement of tliirteen engaged; and their loss in non-com- 
 missioned officers and men was 201 out of 360. Those officers 
 of the regiment who saw Colonel Windham in the Redan say 
 they were in ten minutes before they observed him. Captain 
 Rowland's 41st made a very gallant attempt to charge across 
 the open space with a few men, but they were nearly all killed 
 or wounded, and he was obliged to retire. Lieutenant White- 
 head, Captain Sibthorpe, Lieutenants Browne and Eitzgerald, 
 remained, with Colonel Legh, till only three privates were left
 
 TUE FIRST ATTACK. 149 
 
 in the angle, and they then all retreated together. Immediately- 
 after the head of the storming party of the Light Division 
 entered, Colonel Windham got inside the Eedan on their right, 
 below the salient on the proper left face of the Eedan, but in 
 spite of all his exertions, he could do little more than the gallant 
 officers of the 90th and 97th, and of the supporting regiments. 
 
 As the Light Division rushed out into the open they were 
 swept by the guns of the Barrack Battery and by several pieces 
 on the proper right of the Eedan, loaded heavily with grape, 
 which caused considerable loss amongst them ere they reached 
 the salient or apex of the work at which they were to assault. 
 The storming columns of the Second Division issuing out of the 
 fifth pai-allel rushed up immediately after the Light Division, 
 but when they came close to the apex. Brigadier Windham very 
 judiciously brought them, by a slight detour, to the right flank 
 of the Light Division, so as to come a little down on the slope 
 of the proper left face of the Eedan. The first embrasure to 
 which they came Avas in flames, but, moving on to the next, the 
 men leaped into the ditch, and, with the aid of ladders and of 
 each other's hands, scrambled up on the other side, climbed the 
 parapet, or poured in through the embrasure which was un- 
 defended. Colonel Windham was the first or one of the very 
 first men to enter on this side, and with him entered Daniel 
 Mahony, a great grenadier of the 41st, Kennelly and Cornellis 
 of the same regiment. As Mahony entered with a cheer, he was 
 shot through the head by a Eussian rifleman and fell dead before 
 Colonel Windham, at the same moment Kennelly and Cornellis 
 were wounded on each side of him. (The latter claims the reward 
 of ol. offered by Colonel Herbert to the first man of his division 
 who entered the Eedan.) Eunning parallel to the faces of the 
 Eedan there is, as I have described, an inner parapet intended to 
 shield the gunners at the embrasures from the eflPects of any 
 sheU which might burst the body of the work, and strike 
 them down if this high bank were not there to afford pro- 
 tection from the splinters. Several cuts in the rear of the 
 embrasures enabled the men to retire inside in case of need, 
 and very strong and high traverses ran all along the sides of the 
 work itself, oflering additional shelter. At the base of the 
 Eedan, before the re-entering angles, is a breastwork, or, rather, 
 a parapet with an irregular curve, which runs in front of the 
 body of the place, and reaches to the height of a man's neck. 
 As our men entered through the embrasures, the few Eussians
 
 150 ATTACK ON THE ItKDAN. 
 
 wlio wove between the salient and this bi-eastwork retreated 
 behind the latter, or got behind the traverses for protection. 
 From these they poured in a quick fire on the parapet of the 
 salient, which was crowded by the men of the Second and 
 Light Divisions, and om- men, with an inMuation which all 
 ofticers deplore, but cannot alwaj's remedy on such occasions, 
 began to return the fire of the enemy without advancing 
 or charging behind the traverses. They loaded and fired 
 as quickly as they could, doing but little execution, as the Eus- 
 sians were well covered by the breastwork. There were also 
 groups of Russian riflemen behind the lower traverses near the 
 base of the Eedan who kept up a galling fii-e on our men. As 
 the alarm of an assault circulated the enemy came rushing up 
 fi'om the barracks in rear of the Redan, increasing the force and 
 intensity of their fire, while our soldiers dropped fast. The 
 Russians were encouraged to maintain theii' ground by the im- 
 mobility of our forces and the weakness of a fusillade, from 
 the effects of which the enemy were well protected. In vain the 
 ofiicers, by voice and act, by example and daring valour, tried 
 to urge our soldiers on to clear the work. The men, most of 
 whom belonged to regiments which had sufiered very recently 
 in the trenches, and were acquainted with the traditions of 
 June 18th, had an impression that the Redan was extensively 
 mined, and that if they advanced they would all be blown up, 
 yet, to their honour be it recorded, many of them acted as became 
 the men of Alma and Inkermann, and, rushing confusedly to 
 the front, were swept down by the enemy's fire. The officers 
 fell on all sides, singled out as a mark for the enemy by 
 their courage. The men of the different regiments got 
 mingled together in inextricable confusion. The 19th did 
 not care for the orders of the officers of the 88th, nor did 
 the soldiers of the 23rd heed the commands of an officer 
 who did not belong to the regiment. The officers could 
 not find their men — the men had lost sight of their own 
 officers. All the Brigadiers, save Colonel Windham, were 
 womided, or rendered unfit for the guidance of the attack. 
 That gallant officer did all that man could do to form his 
 men for the assault, and to lead them against the enemy. 
 Proceeding fi'om traverse to traverse, he coaxed the men to 
 come out, and succeeded several times in collecting a few of 
 them, but they melted away as fast as he laid hold of them 
 and either fell in their little ranks, or retired to cover to
 
 DESULTORY FIRING. 151 
 
 keep up tlieir fusillade. Mauy of them crowded to the lower parts 
 of the inner parapet, and kept up a smart fire on the enemy, but 
 nothing would induce them to come out into the open space and 
 charge the breastwork. This was all going on at the proper 
 left face of the Redan, while nearly the same scene was being 
 repeated at the salient. Every moment our men were diminish- 
 ing in numbers, while the Russians were arriving in swarms 
 from the town, and rushing down from the MalakhofF, which 
 had now been occupied by the French. Thrice did Colonel 
 Windham send officers to Sir E. Codrington, who was in the 
 fifth parallel, to entreat of him to send up supports in some order 
 of formation ; but all these three officers were wounded as they 
 passed from the ditch of the Redan to the rear, and the Colonel's 
 ow'n aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Swire, of the 17th, a gallant young 
 officer, was hit dangerously in the hip, as he went on his perilous 
 errand. Supports were, indeed, sent up, but they advanced in 
 disorder, from the fire to which they were exposed on their way, 
 and arrived in dribblets on the parapet, only to increase the con- 
 fusion and the carnage. Finding that he could not collect any men 
 on the left face, Colonel Windham passed through one of the cuts 
 of the inner parapet, and walked over to the right lace, at the dis- 
 tance of thirty yai'ds from the Russian breastwork, to which he 
 moved in a parallel line, exposed to a close fire, but, wonderful to 
 say, without beingtouched. When he got behind the inner parapet, 
 at the right face he found the same state of things as that which, 
 existed at the left. The men were behind the ti'averses, iiring 
 away at the Russians, or blazing at them fi-om the broken parts of 
 the front parapet, and the soldiers who came down from the salient 
 in fi-ont only got behind these works for cover while they loaded 
 and fired at the enemy. The Colonel got some riflemen and a 
 few men of the 88th together, but no sooner had he brought 
 them out than they were killed, wounded, or dispersed by a 
 concentrated fire. The officers, with the noblest devotion, aided 
 Colonel Windham, and became the special marks for the enemy's 
 riflemen. The narrow neck of the salient was too close to allow 
 of any kind of formation, and the more the men crowded into 
 it the worse was the disorder, and the more they sufiered Irom 
 the enemy's fire. This miserable work lasted for an hour. The 
 Russians had now congregated in dense masses behind the 
 breastwork, and Colonel Windham walked back again across the 
 open space to the left, to make one more att*?mpt to retrieve 
 the day. The men on the parapet of the salient, who were
 
 152 ATTACK ON THE EEDAK 
 
 fii'ing at the Russ;itms, sent their shot about him, and the latter, 
 who were pouring volley after volley on all points of the head 
 of the work, likewise directed their muskets against him, hut 
 lie passed through this cross fire in safety, and got within the 
 inner parapet on the left, where the men were becoming thinner 
 and thinner. A Eussiau officer now stepped over the breast- 
 work, and tore down a gabion Avith his own hands ; it was to 
 make room for a field piece. Colonel Windham exclaimed to 
 several soldiers who were firing over the parapet, " Well, as you 
 are so fond of firing, why don't you shoot that Russian ?" They 
 fii'ed a volley and missed him, and soon afterwards the field 
 piece opened on the head of the salient with grape. Colonel 
 Windham saw there was no time to be lost. He had sent three 
 oflacers for reinforcements, and, above all, for men in Ibrmation, 
 and he now resolved to go to General Codrington himself. 
 Seeing Captain Crealock, of the 90th, near liim busy in en- 
 courairinor liis men, and exerting: himself with s^reat courage and 
 energy to get them into order, he said, " I must go to the 
 General for supports. Now mind, let it be known, in case I am 
 killed, why I went away." He crossed the parapet and ditch, 
 and succeeded in gaining the fifth parallel, through a storm of 
 grape and rifie bullets, in safety ; and standing on the top of the 
 parapet he again asked for support. Sir Edward Codrington asked 
 him if he thought he really could do anything with such supports 
 as he could afibrd, and said, if he thought so, " he might take the 
 Eoyals," who were then in the parallel. •' Let the officers come out 
 in front — let us advance in order, and if the men keep their for- 
 mation the Redan is ours," was the Colonel's reply ; but he spoke 
 too late — for, at that verj'' moment, our men were seen leaping 
 into the ditch, or running down the parapet of the salient, 
 and through the embrasures out of the work into the ditch, 
 while the Russians might be perceived following them with 
 the bayonet and with heavy musketry, and even throwing stones 
 and grapeshot at them as they lay in the ditch. The fact was, 
 that the Russians having collected several thousands of men 
 behind the breastwork, and seeing our men scattered and con- 
 fused behind the inner parapet of the traverse, crossed the 
 breastwork, through which several field-pieces were now playing 
 with grape on the inner face of the Redan, and charged our 
 broken groups with the bayonet. At the same time the rear 
 ranks mounting on the breastwork, poin-ed a heavy hail of bullets 
 upon them over the heads of the advancing column. Tho
 
 DKEADFUL STKUGCLE. 153 
 
 struggle that ensued was short, desperate, and bloody. Our 
 soldiers, taken at every disadvantage, met the enemy with the 
 bayonet too, and isolated combats occurred, in which the brave 
 fellows who stood their ground had to defend themselves 
 against three or four adversaricis at once. In this melee the 
 officers, armed only with their swords, had but little chance ; 
 nor had those who carried pistols much opportunity of using 
 them in such a close and sudden contest. They fell like 
 heroes, and many a gallant soldier with them. The bodies of 
 English and Russians inside the Redan, locked in an embrace 
 which death could not relax, but had rather cemented all the 
 closer, were found next day as evidences of the terrible ani- 
 mosity of the struggle. But the solid weight of the ad- 
 vancing mass, urged on and fed each moment from the rear 
 by company after company, and battalion after battalion, pre- 
 vailed at last against the isolated and disjointed band, which had 
 abandoned that protection which unanimity of courage affords, and 
 had lost the advantages of discipline and obedience. As though 
 some giant rock advanced into the sea, and forced back tlie 
 agitated waters that buffeted it, so did the Russian columns 
 press down against the spray of soldiery which fretted their 
 edge with fire and steel, and contended in vain against their 
 weight. The struggling band was forced back by the enemy, 
 who moved on, crushing friend and foe beneath their solid 
 tramp. Bleeding, panting, and exhausted, om- men lay in heaps 
 in the ditch beneath the parapet, sheltered themselves behind 
 stones and in bomb craters in the external slope of the work, or 
 tried to pass back to our advanced parallel and sap, having to 
 run the gauntlet of a tremendous fire. Many of them lost their 
 lives, or were seriously wounded in this attempt. The scene in 
 the ditch was appalling, although some of the officers have 
 assured me that they and the men were laughing at the pre- 
 cipitation with which many brave and gallant fellows did not 
 hesitate to plunge headlong upon the mass of bayonets, muskets, 
 and sprawling soldiers — the ladders Avere all knocked down or 
 broken so that it was difficult for the men to scale the other 
 side, and the dead, the dying, the wounded, and the uninjured, 
 were all lying in piles together. The Russians came out of the 
 embrasures, plied them with stones, grajie shot, and the bayonet, 
 but were soon forced to retire by the fire of our batteries and rifle- 
 men, and under cover of this fire a good many of our men 
 escaped to the approaches. In some instances the Russians per-
 
 154 ATTACK ON THE REDAN. 
 
 sisted in remaining outside, in order to plunder the bodies of 
 those who were lying on the slope of the parapet, and paid the 
 penalty of their rashness in being stretched beside their foes ; 
 but others came forth on a holier errand, and actually brought 
 water to our wounded. If this last act be true, it is but right 
 to discredit the story that the Russians placed our wounded over 
 the magazine in the rear of the Redan, near the 15arrack Bat- 
 tery, ere they fired it — the only foundation for which report, as 
 far as I can discover, is, that many of the bodies of our men 
 found in the Redan were dreadfully scorched and burnt ; but 
 there were many Russians lying there in a similar state. Gen- 
 eral Pelissier observed the failure of our attack from the rear of 
 the Malakhoff, and sent over to General Simpson to ask if he 
 intended to renew it. The English Commander-in-Chief is 
 reported to have replied that he did not then feel in a condition 
 to do so. All this time the Guards and Highlanders, the Third 
 and Fourth Divisions, and most of the reserves had not been en- 
 gaged. They could, indeed, have furnished materials for making 
 another assault, but the subsequent movements of the Russians 
 render it doubtful whether the glory of carr^'ing the Redan, and 
 of redeeming the credit of our arms, would not have been dearly 
 purchased by the effusion of more valuable blood. As soon 
 as we abandoned the assaTilt the firing slackened along our 
 front, but in the rear of the Malakhoff there was a fierce contest 
 going on between masses of Russians, now released fi'om the 
 Redan, or dx-awn from the town, and the F'rench inside the 
 work ; and the fight for the Little Redan, on the proper left of 
 the Malakhoff", was raging furiously. Clouds of smoke and dust 
 obstructed the view, but the rattle of musketry was incessant, 
 and betokened the severe nature of the struggle below. Through 
 the breaks in the smoke there could be seen now and then a 
 tricolour, surmounted by an eagle, fluttering bravely over the 
 inner parapet of the JMalakhoff. The storm of battle rolled 
 fiercely round it, and beat against it ; but it was sustained by 
 strong arms and stout hearts, and all the assaults of the enemy 
 were directed in vain against it. We could see, too, our noble 
 allies swai-ming over into the Malakhoff, from their splendid 
 approaches to it from the Mamelon, or rushing with speed 
 towards the right, where the Russians, continually reinforced, 
 sought in vain to beat back their foes, and to regain the key of 
 their position. The struggle was full of interest to us all, but 
 its issue was never doubted. It would be vmti'ue to say that
 
 ADDITIONAL DETAILS. 155 
 
 the r<^sult of our assault was not the source of deep grief and 
 morti lication to us, which all the glorious successes of our allies 
 could not wholly alleviate. Even those who thought any attack 
 on the Eedan useless and unwise, inasmuch as the possession of 
 the iWalakhoft" would, in their opinion, render the Redan un- 
 tenable, could not but regret bitterly that, having undertaken 
 the assault, we had not achieved a decisive triumph, and that 
 so much blood had been, if not ingloriously, at least fruitlessly, 
 poured tbrth. 
 
 Tiie French, indeed, have been generous enough to say that 
 our troops behaved with great bravery, and that they wondered 
 how we kept the Redan so long under such a tremendous fire ; 
 but British soldiers are rather accustomed to the nil admivari 
 under su(;h circumstances, and praise like that gives pain as well 
 as pleasure. IMany soldiers, entertaining the opinion to which 
 I have alluded, think that we should at once have renewed the 
 attempt. It is but small consolation to them to know that 
 General Simpson intended to attack the Redan the following 
 morning, inasmuch as the Russians by their i-etreat deprived 
 us of the chance of retrieving our reputation, and at the same 
 time acknowledged the completeness of the success achieved by 
 our alHes, and the tremendous superiority of the fire directed 
 against them. 
 
 As any particulars must be interesting, I have no hesitation 
 in giving some additional details of the events of the 8th of 
 September : — 
 
 " The Second Bi-igade, Light Division, stormed at noon of 
 the eighth. The 97th and 90th, 300 of each, commanded — the 
 former by Major Welsford (whose head was blown off as he was 
 mounting an embrasure — the gun was fired by a Russian officer, 
 who immediately gave himself up as a prisoner to a sergeant of 
 the 97th, that entered the moment after, throwing down his 
 sword and saying, 'I am a prisoner of war'); the latter by 
 Captain Grove, the senior officer of the regiment, present with 
 the service companies. The salient was carried at once, and 
 the men entered the stronghold, which is a work traced on a 
 most obtuse angle, requiring a large mass of men to assault it, 
 not only at the salient, but at the same moment on both flanks, 
 so as to turn them, and to enable the salient storming party to 
 advance down the interior space of the works at once, taking the 
 defenders in front and flank, and indeed in rear, at the same 
 moment. In consequence of attacking the salient only, no front
 
 156 ATTACK ON THE KEDAN, 
 
 could be formed, on account of the small interior space at that 
 point ; the men were forced to advance by dribblets, and at the 
 sami; moment fired on irom traverses on cither flank where they 
 could not see their assailants, an evil at once obviated had the 
 attack on the flanks and salient been simultaneous. The 
 handful of men who assaulted and took the salient most 
 gallantly held it against far superior numbers for a considerable 
 time, until their ammunition being nearly expended ivnd receiv- 
 ing no flank support, which could alone assist them to any pur- 
 pose, and being rushed on from these flanks by a vastly superior 
 force, they retreated to the extreme side of the parapet, where 
 they remained, and, being reinforced by some fresh men, kept 
 up a heavy and continuous fire on the Russians in the interior 
 of the work; they held their ground on this fast sinking parapet 
 of loose earth, stones, and broken gabions, under a most galling 
 fire from both Hanks and in ii'ont, and continuous showers of 
 vertical grape, from inside the work, for an hour and a half at 
 least, when a sudden rush, made by the enemy, who had crept 
 up the faces by the traverses, obliged the troops to retire, and 
 step by step, pelting each other with huge stones, they retired, 
 slipping and tumbling into the ditch, where many poor fellows 
 were buried alive, from the scarps giving way. Then came the 
 fearful run for life or death, with men rolling over like rabbits, 
 then tumbling into the English trench, where the men lay four 
 deep on each other. The men once in manned the parapet, and 
 kept up a heavy and continuous fii'e on the enemy on the 
 parapets of the Redan. The rest you know. The Rifles, as 
 usual, behaved nobly, and where they had tried to creep up the 
 ditch to pick oft' the Russians on the flanks they lay four and 
 five deep, all together. Colonel Lysons, of the 23rd, as usual, 
 was all energy, and, though severely wounded through the 
 thigh and unable to stand, remained on the ground cheering on 
 the men and giving directions to the last. Colonel Handcock, 
 of the 97th, was shot through the head on the crest of the 
 Redan, and died soon after arriving in camp. Captain Preston, 
 and Lieutenants Swift and Wilmer, of the 90th, were all killed 
 inside, where their bodies were found the next morning. Cap- 
 tain Vaughan, of the 90th, whose conduct was beyond praise, 
 was shot in both legs severely, and taken prisoner when we left 
 the place, it being impossible to get him over the ditch. He 
 was found in a Russian hospital to-day, and brought to camp. 
 Colonel AVindham was most energetic in striving to keej) down
 
 THE FIGHT IN THE KEDAN. 157 
 
 the fire of tlio flanks after the first retrogression, and stood where 
 the fire was hottest, trying to force a few men to make an 
 attack on them ; but so dense was the fire tluit the men were 
 mowed down as fast as a handful could be got together. He 
 was backwards and forwards, cheering, directing, &c.; but a 
 formed body of men alone could be of service, and that could 
 not be got. Lieutenant and Adjutant Dyneley, of the 23rd 
 Fusiliers, was so severely wounded that he is since dead, — a 
 most excellent officer, and a great loss to the regiment and the 
 service. Individual deeds of daring were too frequent to par- 
 ticularize. The fii'st dead llussian on the e.Ktreme salient was 
 a Eussian officer shot through the mouth, a singularly handsome 
 man, with hands and feet white and delicate as a woman's. I 
 wont trust myself to returns. The fire of our artillery had 
 been splendid, as the number of broken guns proved." 
 
 JEx lino disce omncs. The Light Division was deprived of 
 its Brigadier, and of Colonels Unett and Lysons, the next senior 
 officers, eai'ly in the day, and was left to tlie command of Colonel 
 Bunbury. 
 
 The 41st, which followed the Light Division storming party, 
 whose position in advance was detennined, as I have already 
 stated, by Colonel Windham and Colonel Unett " tossing up for 
 choice," got into the Redan nearly as soon as the 90th and 97th, 
 who formed the leading colunni of attack on the salient, and the 
 parties of each division were soon inextricably mixed. I do not 
 know the names of the fii'st soldiers of the 90th and 97th who 
 got in, but several soldiers of these regiments lay dead and 
 wounded in advance near the Russian breastwork on the morn- 
 ing of the 9th. The men of the 41st who rushed into the 
 Redan with Colonel Windham are really named Hartnadj^, 
 Kennedy, and Pat IMahoney; the last, a fine tall Grenadier, fell 
 dead in the embrasure by Colonel Windham's side, shot through 
 the heart as he was shouting, '' Come on, boj's, come on !" His 
 blood spouted over those near him, but the men rushed on till 
 they became confused among the traverses, and then the scene 
 took place which I have tried to describe in my former letter. 
 The salient, however favourable to the assailants in one sense, 
 was extremely disadvantageous to them in another, inasmuch as 
 it prevented them getting into any kind of formation. It was 
 of course the apex of the triangle, and was very narrow, while 
 the enemy firing from the base poured a concentrated fire upon 
 the point, and lelled every man who showed boldly from behind
 
 158 ATTACK ON THE REDAN. 
 
 the traverses, while thoj'' swept with a rapid file fire the top of 
 the parapet on which our soldiers were crowded. At the iirst 
 rush, had Colonel Windham been able to get a handful of men 
 together to charge at the breastwork, the few Russians there 
 must have been routed, and by the time their reinforcements 
 came up our men would have been able to reverse the lace of 
 the breastwork, aiid to close the Redan to their assailants. Biit 
 seconds of time generate great events in war. Our delay gave 
 the enemy tune both to recover from their panic when they wei'e 
 driven from the salient, and to send up sti'ong bodies of men 
 li-om their bomb-proofs and the cover at tlie back of tlie Redan^ 
 and by degrees this accumulating mass advancing from the 
 angles of the breastwork moved up along the traverses parallel 
 with the parapets of the Redan, and drove our men into the 
 salient, where, fed by feeble dribblets and incapable of forma- 
 tion, they were shot down in spite of the devotion and courage 
 of their leader and the example of their officers. The salient 
 was held by our men for one hour and fifty-six minutes ! While 
 General Codriugton, who seems to have become confused by the 
 failure of the attack, and to have lost for the time the coohiess 
 which has hitherto characterized him, was hesitating about 
 sending up more men, or was unable to send them up in any 
 formation, so as to form a nucleus of resistance and attack, the 
 Redan was lost, and our men, pressed by the bayonet, by heavy 
 fusillades, and by some field guns, which the enemy had now 
 brought up, were forced over the parapet into the ditch. Colonel 
 Eman, one of the vei-y best officers in this army, — a man of 
 singular calmness and bravery, who was beloved by his regi- 
 ment, his officers and men, and whose loss is lamented by all 
 who knew him, was shot through the lungs as he was getting 
 his men into order. His sword arm was uplifted over his head 
 at the time, and it was thought his lungs were uninjured. The 
 surgeon, when he was carried back, told him so, but he knew 
 too well such hopes were vain. " I feel I am bleeding inter- 
 nally," he said, with a sad smile. He died that night. Two 
 captains of the same regiment fell beside him — Corry and Lock- 
 hart. Captain Rowlands, who veiy much distinguished himself, 
 had the mo.st extraordinary escapes, and was only sliglitly 
 wounded, though hit in two places. Hamilton, Maude, and 
 Kingscote are severely wounded. Major Pratt is sliglitly 
 wounded ; 4 sergeants and 30 privates were killed ; 1 coi-poral 
 and 12 privates were missing ; about GO others are severely
 
 DESPEEATPE ENCOUNTER. 159 
 
 wounded, and 73 lire slightly wounded — making a total loss of 
 18-1. The 49th, who were in reserve, lost 1 officer killed, 2 
 wounded, 2 privates killed, and 23 wounded. For the last thirty 
 minutes of this contest the English, having exhausted their am- 
 munition, threw stones at their opponents, but the Russians 
 retaliated with terrible effect by " hand-grape" and small cannon- 
 shot, which they hurled at our men. Captain Rowlands was 
 knocked down and stunned by one of these missiles, which hit 
 him right on the eye. As soon as he recovered and got up, he 
 was struck by another grape-shot in the very same place, and 
 knocked down again. 
 
 The 3()th Regiment was formed in the fourth parallel, left in 
 front, on the right of the 55th, and when the storming party 
 moved out of the fifth parallel the su])ports occupied it, and 
 were immediately ordered to advance on the salient angle of the 
 Redan by three companies at a time from the left. The distance 
 from the place in which they were posted up to the salient con- 
 siderably exceeded 200 yards, and as the men had to cut across 
 as quickly as they could in order to escape the raking tire of 
 grape, and to support the regiments in front, they were breath- 
 less when they arrived at the ditch. When tliey arrived, all 
 blown by this double, they found only two scaling ladders at the 
 scarp and two more at the other side to climb up to the parapet. 
 They got over, however, and ascended the face of tlie Redan. 
 By the time the supports got up the Russians were pushing up 
 their reserves in great fbi'ce, and had already got some iield- 
 pleces up to the breastwork, and the regiment falling Into the 
 train of all around them, instead of advancing, began to fire 
 from the parapet and upper traverses till all their ammunition 
 was exhausted, when they commenced pelting the Russians 
 with stones. In this condition no attempts were made to 
 move the reserves whatever, while the Russians accuraalated 
 mass after mass upon them from the open ground In rear of the 
 Redan, and deployed their columns on the breastwork, wlience 
 they delivered a severe fire upon us. The whole garrison of the 
 I\la!akhoff and their svipports also came down on the left tiank 
 of the Redan and added to our assailants, and Indeed there was 
 reason to fight, for the possession of the Redan would have 
 destroyed the enemy's chance of escape. In this gallant regi- 
 ment there were 16 olficers, 23 sergeants, &c., and 384 privates ; 
 on marching down to the trenches 1 officer was killed and 10 
 were wounded, 6 sergeants were wounded, 41 privates were
 
 IGO ATTACK ON THE REDAN. 
 
 killed and 101 privates were wounded, and 2 officers and 6 pri- 
 vates have since died of their wounds. 
 
 The 55th Avas the support along with the 30th, and was 
 stationed in the fourth parallel till the assaulting columns had 
 cleared out of the iiith parallel, wliich it then occupied, and left 
 soon afterwards to mingle in the melee at the salient of the 
 Redan. Poor Lieut.-Colonel Cuddy, who assumed the com- 
 mand when Lieut.-Colonel Cure was wounded in the right arm, 
 was killed as he led his men up the open to the face of the 
 Kedan ; and of the remaining 10 officers who went out with the 
 regiment Captain Morgan, acting as Aide-de-Camp to the Briga- 
 dier, had his arm broken. Captain Hume was hloion np hy a 
 shell, but was not severely wounded. Lieutenant J. R. Hume, 
 his brother, was badly but not dangerously wounded. Lieutenant 
 Johnson was wounded, and was also baj^oneted by a Russian, 
 who threw his fii-elock at him. The remaining officers, Captain 
 Werge (Brigade-Major), Captain Rocksby, Lieutenants Elton, 
 Harkness, and Burke (Adjutant), were not touched, nor was 
 Acting Assistant-Surgeon Fane, who went down Avith the regi- 
 ment to the fifth parallel. The regiment went out less than 
 400 strong, and suffijred a loss of \'iO officers and men killed 
 and wounded. 
 
 The gallant 62nd went into action 245 of all ranks. They 
 were formed into two companies, with four officers to each, and 
 the Colonel, Major, Adjutant, and Acting Assistant-Surgeon 
 O'Callaghan, and formed part of the storming party. Colonel 
 Tyler was hit in the hand crossing the open space in front of 
 the Redan, and retired. Lieutenant Blakeston was shot in the 
 very act of getting in through an embrasure of the Redan. 
 Lieutenant Davenport was shot through the nose. On the para- 
 pet two officers were killed or died of their wounds, and four 
 officers were wounded out of a total of eleven ; three sergeants 
 wei'e killed and four wounded out of sixteen, one drummer was 
 killed out of eight, and fourteen rank and file were killed, and 
 seventy-five were wounded out of 210. Such was this heavy 
 day. To show how it fell on our allies I may give the follow- 
 ing fact. The 15th regiment, Colonel Garrain, went into 
 action 900 strong against the Little Redan, and came out 310. 
 The two Chefs de Bataillon were killed, eleven officers were 
 killed, and nineteen officers were wounded. It Avas observed 
 that an immense number of the Russian dead in the front Avere 
 -officers.
 
 THE RETREAT. IGl 
 
 The " Vladimir" behaved admirably on Sunday. She took 
 up a position within range of the French battery at Inkerniann. 
 She was not safe anywhere, and stem on let the shot pass ovei* 
 her till I was tired of seeing them miss her. 
 
 Our attack lasted about an hour and three-quarters, as well as 
 I could mak(! out, and in that time we lost more men than at 
 Inkermann, where the fighting lasted for seven hours. At 
 1'48 p.m., which was alwut the time we retired, there was an ex- 
 plosion either of a tumbrel or of a fougasse between the Mamelon 
 and the Malalchofi', to the right, which seemed to blow up 
 several Frenchmen, and soon afterwards the artillery of the 
 Imperial Guard swept across from the rear towards the Little 
 Kedan, and gave us an indication that our allies had gained a 
 position from which they could operate against the enemy 
 with their field pieces. From the opening of the attack the 
 French batteries over Careening Bay had not ceased to thunder 
 against the Russian fleet, which lay silently at anchor below, 
 and a lively cannonade was kept up between them and the 
 Inkermann batteries till the evening, which was interrupted 
 every now and then by the intervention of the English re- 
 doubt, and the late Selinghinsk and Volhynia redoubts, which 
 engaged the Russian batteries at the extremity of the harbour. 
 At one o'clock wounded men began to crawl up from the batteries 
 to the camp ; they could tell us little or nothing. " Were we 
 in the Redan ?" " Oh, yes ; but a lot of them had been killed, 
 and the Russians Avere mighty strong." Some were cheerful, 
 others desponding ; all seemed proud of their wounds. HaLf- 
 an-hour more, and the number of wounded increased ; they 
 came up by twos and threes, and — what I had observed before 
 as a bad sign — the number of stragglers accompanying them, 
 under the pretence of rendering assistance, became greater also. 
 Then the ambulances and the cacolets (or mule litters) came in 
 sight along the Woronzolf-road filled with wounded. Every 
 ten minutes added to their numbers, and we could see that 
 every effort was made to hurry them down to the front as soon 
 as they were ready for a fresh load. The litter-bearers now added 
 to the length of the melancholy train. We heard that the tem- 
 porary hospitals in front were full, and that the surgeons were 
 beginning to get anxious about the extent of their accommodation 
 lor the wounded. It may here be observed that on the occasion 
 of the ISth of June some of these temporary hospitals, which are 
 intended to afford immediate aid in cases requiring operations en 
 
 AOL. II. 31
 
 162 ATTACK ON THE KEDAN. 
 
 the spot, were under fire, and a shell burst in the very tent in 
 which Dr. Paynter and his assistants were operating, the ground 
 around it being continually torn up by round shot. On this 
 occasion more care was taken in determining the sites of the 
 tents. Another bad sign was that the enemy never ceased 
 throwing up shell to the front, many of which burst high in 
 the air over oui- heads, while the pieces flew with a most un- 
 pleasant whii" around us. These shells were intended for our 
 reserves ; and, although the fuses did not burn long enough for 
 such a range, and they all burst at a considerable elevation, they 
 caused some little injury and annoyance to the troops in the rear, 
 and hit some of our men. The rapidly-increasing swarms of 
 wounded men, some of whom had left their arms behind them, 
 at last gave rise to suspicions of the truth ; but their answers to 
 many eager questioners were not very decisive or intelligible, and 
 some of them did not even know what they had been attacking. 
 One poor young fellow who was stumping stiffly up with a 
 broken arm and a ball through his shoulder, carried off his fire- 
 lock with him, but he made the naive confession that he had 
 '■' never fired it off", for he could not." The piece turned out to 
 be in excellent order. It struck one that such men as these, 
 however brave, were scarcely a fit match for the well-drilled 
 soldiers of Russia ; and yet we were trusting the honour-, repu- 
 tation, and glory of Great Britain to undisciplined lads from the 
 plough, or the lanes of our towns and villages ! As one ex- 
 ample of the sort of recruits we have received here recently, I 
 may mention that there was a considerable number of men in 
 draughts which came out last week to regiments in the Fourth 
 Division who had only been enlisted a few days, and who had 
 never fired a rifle in their lives ! It must not be imagined 
 that such rawness can be corrected and turned into military 
 efficiency out here, for the fact is, that this siege has been about 
 the worst possible school for developing the courage and manly 
 self-reliance of a soldier ; neither does it teach him the value 
 of discipline and of imited action. When he goes into the 
 trenches he learns to dodge behind gabions and to take pot shots 
 from behind stones and parapets, and at the same time he ha.s 
 no opportunity of testing the value of his comrades, or of 
 proving himself against the enemy in the open field. The natural 
 result follows. Nor can it be considered as aught but ominous 
 of evil that there have been two courts of inquiry recently 
 held concerning two most distinguished regiments — one, indeed.
 
 LOSSES IN THE ASSAULT. 1G3 
 
 belonging to the highest rank of our infiintry, and the other a 
 well-tried and gallant regiment, which was engaged in this very 
 attack, in consequence of the alleged misconduct of their young 
 soldiers duinng night affairs in the trenches. The old soldiers 
 behaved admirably, and stood by their officers to the last ; nor 
 was there any lack of courage among the young lads who had 
 only just joined, but they were deficient in discipline and in 
 confidence in their officers. Whatever the cause, the assault 
 was unsuccessful. General Simpson remained in the Green-hill 
 Battery till six o'clock, at which hour General Pelissier sent 
 to inform him that the Malakhoff was perfectly safe, and to 
 ask him what the English intended to do with respect to the 
 Redan. General Simpson had bj^ this time, it is said, formed 
 the determination of attacking it the following morning at five 
 o'clock with the Guards and the Third and Fourth Divisions, 
 but he would not act when asked to do so by the French 
 general. The difficulty of obtaining accurate information of the 
 progress of an action cannot be better exemplified than ly- this 
 fact, that at three o'clock one of our Generals of Division did 
 not know wdiether we had taken the Eedan or not. Towards 
 dusk the Guards who had been placed in reserve behind our 
 Eight Attack were marched olF to their camp, and a portion of 
 the Highlanders were likewise taken off the ground. The 
 Guards only arrived from the trenches this morning, but, to 
 their great credit be it said, they turned out again without a 
 murmur after a rest of a couple of hours for breakfast, although 
 they had been "on" for forty-eight hours previously. The 
 Third Division and a portion of the Highlanders were sent 
 down to do the trench duties in the evening and night. 
 
 From the following statement of the loss sustained by the Light 
 Division it will be seen that this gallant body, which behaved 
 so well at the Alma, and maintained its reputation at Inkermann, 
 suffered as severely as it did in gaining the former gi-eat victory; 
 and an examination of the return, which is tolerably correct, and 
 is certainly rather imder the mark, will, I fear, show that the 
 ■winter, the trenches, and careless recruiting have done theii* 
 work, and that the officers fm-nished a noble example of devotion 
 and gallantry, which their men did not imitate. In the Light 
 Division there are 73 officers and 9G1 men wounded — total, 
 1037. 
 
 The loss of this division was 1001 in killed and wounded at 
 the Alma. 
 
 Ji2
 
 164 ATTACK ON TIIK KEUAN. 
 
 The numbci" of officers killed amounts to 15 ; of men killed 
 to i)l — total, 107. The regiments of the division which fiir- 
 uished storm in<^ columns were the 00th (or Perthshire Volun- 
 teers) and the UTth (or Earl of Ulster's). In the 90th Captain 
 Preston and Lieutenants Swift and Willmer were killed. Only 
 three men were killed. Lieutenant Swift penetrated the furthest 
 of all those Avho entered the Redan, and his dead body was 
 discovered far in advance, near the re-entering angle. Captains 
 Grove, Tinling, and Wade, Lieutenants Kattra}-, Pigott, 
 Deverill, and Sir C. Pigott and 90 men severely ; Captains 
 Perrin and Vaughan, Lieutenants Rous, Graham, and llaydock 
 and 35 men slightly, wounded. Total Icilled, 3 officers, 3 meri ; 
 wounded, 12 ofHcers, 126 men. In the 97th, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 the Hon. H. R. Handcock, Major Welsford, Captain Hutton, 
 and Lieutenant Douglas M'Gregor, and one man were killed. 
 Captain Lumle}' and 10 men dangerously ; Captain Sibthorp, 
 Lieutenant Goodenough, and 38 men severel}- ; Captain Woods, 
 Lieutenants Hill, Fitzgerald, Brown, and 40 men slightlj', 
 wounded. Total killed, 4 officers, 1 man ; Avounded, 7 ofHcers, 
 88 men. The colonel having been shot through the head, 
 was carried to his tent, but the ball having lodged in the 
 brain, he was never sensible, and expired that night. His 
 widow Avas watching the progress of the struggle from the 
 Picket-bouse, and all her worst fears were soon realized, for 
 lier husband's body was brought by the very spot where 
 sbe stood. Lieutenant M'Ciiregor, the son of the Inspector- 
 General of Irish Constabulaiy, was adjutant of the regiment, 
 and as remarkable for his unostentatious pietj^ and Christian 
 virtues as for his bravery and conduct in the field. The rest 
 of the division was engaged in supporting the storming columns. 
 In the 7th Royal Fusiliers, Lieutenants Wright and Colt, and 
 11 men were killed ; Major Turner, Lieutenant-Colonels Hey- 
 land and Hibbert, Captain Hickey, and Captain Jones (Alma), 
 Avcre wounded. Sixty-seven men were wounded, and 11 killed. 
 In the 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) Lieutenants Somerville 
 and Dyneley are dead ; the fii'st was killed, the latter died 
 of his wounds the following morning. Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Lysons is slightly wounded, and the following officers are 
 moi'e or less injured by shot, shell, or bayonet : — Captains 
 Vane, Poole, Millett, Holding, Beck, Hall, Dare, Williamson, 
 Tupper, O'Connor, liadcliffe, Perrott, and Beck. Total killed, 
 2 ofhi-ers, 1 man ; wounded, 13 officers, 130 men. In the 33rd,
 
 KILLED AND WOUXDED. 1G5 
 
 Lieutenant Donovan, a most promising and dashing ofHccr, 
 lost his life while looking over the parapet at the light. 
 He went with the regiment as an amateur, in company with 
 his brother, all through J)u]garia, and into action with them 
 at the Alma as a volunteer, where he so much distinguished 
 himself that the colonel recommended him for a commission, 
 which he received without purchase. Lieutenant-Colonel (iough, 
 who was shot through the body at the Alma, was severely 
 wounded ; Captain Ellis and Lieutenants AVillis and Trent were 
 slightly, and the Adjutant Toseland severely, wounded ; 45 
 men wounded. Total killed, 1 officer ; wounded, 5 officers, 4-5 
 men. In the 34th, which was in the parallel behind tJie 
 columns, 3 men were killed. Lieutenants HaiTis and Laurie 
 are severely wounded, and 62 men are wounded. Tii the 
 19th, nearly every officer was touched more or less, 128 
 men were wounded, and 25 killed. The ollicers wounded 
 are — Colonel Unett, severely (since dead) ; ]\lajor Warden, 
 slightly ; Captain Chippindall, ditto ; Lieutenants Godfrey, 
 Goren, and Massey, dangerously ; Molesworth, severely ; 
 Bayley, slightly: Ensign Martin, slightly; and Ensign 
 Young, dangerously. Total killed, 25 men ; wounded, 10 
 officers, 128 men. In the 77th, 42 men were wounded ; killed 
 not known ; Captain Parker mortally wounded. Wounded, 
 Captain Butts, slightly ; Lieutenants Knowles, Leggett, and 
 Watson, ditto. One officer killed ; 4 officers, 42 men wounded. 
 In the 88th Regiment, 105 men were wounded. Captain 
 Grogan wa.s killed ; Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, C.B., was 
 wounded twice in the thigh and once in the arm severely, 
 but not dangerously. Captains Mauleverer and Beresford; 
 Lieutenants Lambert, Hopton, Scott, and Ensign Walker, are 
 wounded severely. Total, 1 officer killed ; wounded, 9 officers, 105 
 men. In the Rifle Brigade Captain Hammond, who was only 
 three days out from England, and Lieutenant Ryder and 13 men 
 were killed: and Lieutenant Pellew (slightly), Lieutenant Eyre 
 severely. Major Woodford (slightly). Captain Eccles and Lieu- 
 tenant Riley severely wounded. Total, 2 officers, 13 men killed ; 
 wounded, 8 officers, 125 men. It will be seen by this that 964 
 men were wounded in the. Light Division ; and it is most credit- 
 able to the medical officer in charge, Dr. Alexander, and to his 
 surgeons, that all these men were placed comfortably in bed, 
 and had their wounds dressed and their wants attended to by 
 eiffht o'clock the same eveninc:. The loss of officers in Wind-
 
 166 ATTACK ON THE EEDAN. 
 
 ham's Brigade, and in the portion of Warren's Brigade which 
 moved to his support is equally severe. 
 
 The Second Division had on the General Staff, 1 officer, 
 Lieutenant Swies, Aide-de-camp, dangerously ; 2 officers, Major 
 Rooke and Lieutenant Morgan, Aide-de-camp, severely; 1 officer, 
 Brigadier Warren, slight scratch in head ; and 1 officer. Colonel 
 Percy Herbert, a still slighter scratch. Total 5 officers 
 wounded. In 1st Royals, 2nd Battalion, 1 man was kiUed; 2 
 officers, Major Plunkett, Lieutenant WiUiams, and 3 men, 
 severely ; Captain GiUman, and 2 men, dangerously ; Lieutenant 
 Keate, and 13 men slightly, wounded. Total killed 1 ; 
 wounded, 4 officers, 18 men. 3rd Buffs, 39 men killed, 76 
 wounded, 7 officers. Brigadier Strauhenzee (a scratch over the 
 eye); Captain Wood Dunhar, Lieutenant Cox, Ensigns Letts and 
 Peachey, wounded. In 41st Foot, 2 officers, Captains Lockhart 
 and Every, 2 men, killed ; Colonel Eman, C.B., dangerously 
 (since dead); Lieutenant Kingscote, severely; Major Pratt, Cap- 
 tain Rowlands, Lieutenants Maude and Hamilton, slightly 
 wounded. Total killed, 2 officers, 2 men ; Avounded, 6 officers, 
 111 men. In 47th Regiment, 3 men killed, 27 men Avounded. 
 In 49th Regiment, Captain Rochfort and 2 men killed ; I\Iajor 
 King, Ensign Mitchell, and 26 men, wounded. In 55th Regi- 
 ment, Lieut.-Colonel Cuddy killed; Major Cure, Captain R. 
 Hume, Captain J. Hume,. Captain Richards, Lieutenant Johnson, 
 and 105 men, wounded. In C2nd Regiment, Captains Cox and 
 Blakeston, killed ; Lieut.-Colonel Tyler, Major Daubeney, Cap- 
 tain Hunter, Lieutenants Dirin and Davenport, and 67 men, 
 wounded. In 95th Foot, Captain Sergeant and Lieutenant 
 Packinton, slightly contused, and 3 men slightly wounded. In 
 the First Division, 2nd Brigade, the 31st Foot lost an excellent 
 officer. Captain Attree, before the assault took place ; he was 
 mortally wounded in the trenches. They had two men slightly 
 wounded. In the Scots Fusilier Guards, and 56th Foot, there 
 were only two men slightly wounded — one in each regiment ; 
 and out of 256 men admitted into the General Hospital, Third 
 Division camp, 17 died almost immediately. In the Highland 
 Division, while on duty in the trenches, the 42nd Foot had 12 
 men Avoundcd ; the 72nd Foot had , 1 officer. Quartermaster 
 Maidmont, mortally wounded, 1 man killed, and 17 men 
 w^ounded; the 79th had 11 men wounded; and the 93rd had 
 5 men wounded. In the Fourth Division, the 17th Reghnent 
 had 3 officers, Lieutenant Thompson, Lieutenant Squire, and
 
 TOTAL KILLED AND WOUNDED. 1G7 
 
 Lieutenant Parkei-, and 19 men wounded ; the 20tli had 6 men 
 wounded ; the 21st, 8 men wounded ; the 46th, 1 man wounded ; 
 the 4Sth, G men wounded ; the 57th, 4 men wounded; the 63rd, 
 Colonel Lyndsay (severely), and 4 men wounded, and 1 killed ; 
 the G8th, 1 man wounded ; the Eifle Brigade, 1st Battalion, 2 
 men killed, and 9 men wounded. In the Eight Attack, Com- 
 missary Hayter and 5 men Avere killed ; Captain Fitzroj^, Lieu- 
 tenants Champion and Tyler, and 34 men of the siege tram were 
 wounded. In the Left Attack, Captain Sedley, Major Chapman, 
 Lieut. Elphinstone,E.E., and 7 sappers and miners, were wounded. 
 The regiments in the trenches lost as follows : — Eifle Brigade, 
 2 wounded; 3rd Foot, 2 ditto; 17th, 1 ditto; 23rd Fusiliers, 13 
 ditto; 41st, 3 ditto; 55th, 1 ditto; 62nd, 2 killed, 3 wounded; 
 77th, 1 killed, 1 wounded; 88th, 1 wounded; 90th, 1 killed, 11 
 wounded ; 93rd, 1 wounded ; 97th, 2 wounded ; 19th, 1 killed, 1 
 wounded. The total given by Lieut. John Hall is 24 officers, 
 and 129 men killed ; 134 officers, and 1897 wounded. There 
 was a feeling of deep depression in camp all night. It was quite 
 uncertain what the result would be, as we knew the French were 
 only in the Malakhoff, and we were painfully aware that our 
 attack had failed. It was an eventful night. The camp was full 
 of wounded men ; the hospitals were crowded ; and sad stories 
 ran from mouth to mouth respecting the losses of the officers, 
 and the behaviom- of the men. 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIL 
 
 CAPTUEE OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 Ketreat of the Russians — Evacuation of Sebastopol — Destruction of the 
 fleet — Abandonment of the Redan — Conflagration in the town — Tre- 
 mendous explosions — The last Russian soldier is withdrawn to the 
 northern side — Reflections on the English attack upon the Redan — 
 Sacrifices — The retreat of the Russians owing to the captura of the 
 Malakhoff" by the French — Skilful arrangement of the Russian retreat — 
 "Violent storm — Sebastopol in flames — The violence of the storm in- 
 creases — A perfect tornado — The French general forbids all com- 
 munication with the town — Delay in sending off the mail 
 
 Sunday, September 9. 
 Fatigued and worn out by excitement, I lay down to rest, 
 but scarcely to sleep last night. At my last walk up to the
 
 IGS CAPTURE OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 front of the camp, after sunset, notliing was remarkable, except 
 the silence of the batteries on both sides — the firing being 
 chiefly on the extreme left and right of the attack. It was 
 rumoured about seven o'clock, that an artillery officer in the 
 trenches observed the enemy pouring across the bridge in large 
 masses, and that he sent word to that effect to General Simpson. 
 About eleven o'clock, my Imt was shaken by a violent shock as 
 of an earthquake, but I was so thoroughly tired and worn out 
 that it did not rouse me for more than an instant ; having per- 
 suaded myself it was " only a magazine," I was asleep again. 
 In another hour these shocks were repeated in quick succession 
 several times, so that Morpheus himself could not have slum- 
 bered ; and so I got up, and walked up to Cathcart's Hill. 
 Fires blazed in Sebastopol, but they were obscured with smoke 
 and by the dust which still blew through the night air. As 
 the time wore on, these fii-es grew and spread, fed at intervals 
 by tremendous explosions. When the first grey rays of morn- 
 ing came, the truth was plain — the Russians were abandoning 
 the city they had defended so gallantly and so long. Their 
 fleet was beneath the waters. A continuous stream of soldiery 
 could be seen marching across the bridge to the north side, 
 where all seemed agitation and alarm.. And what were we 
 doing ? Just looking on. It was after five o'clock ere General 
 Bentinck came out of his hut close to Cathcart's Hill, to " see 
 what the matter was." The little group which stood there was 
 silent, and awestruck by the appalling spectacle before them, 
 and no man cared to speak. The trenches were occupied by the 
 Highland Division, under Sir Colin Campbell, with the Third 
 Division in support ; but the General did not occupj^ the Redan 
 till after daybreak, and even then he did nothing, though he 
 was informed soon after midnight that the Russians had aban- 
 doned it. The resume of this Sabbath day's work is as 
 follows : — 
 
 At eight o'clock last night the Russians began quietly to 
 withdi'aw from the town, in the principal houses of which they 
 had previously stored up combustibles, in order to render Sebas- 
 topol a Recond Moscow. With great art the general kept up a 
 fire of musketry from his advanced posts, as though he intended 
 to renew his efforts to regain the Malakhoff. About 12';W the 
 men of the Highland division on duty in the trenches were 
 surprised at the silence in the Redan, and some volunteers
 
 SEBASTOPOL IN FLAMES. 1G9 
 
 managed to creep into it. i!^othing could they bear but the 
 lieavy breathing and groans of the wounded and dying, who, 
 with the dead, were the sole occupants of the place. As it was 
 thought the Redan was mined, the men came back, and soon 
 afterwards the Russian tactics became apparent. About two 
 o'clock flames were observed to break out in different parts of 
 the town. They spread gradually over the principal buildings. 
 By two o'clock the fleet, with the exception of the steamers, 
 had been scuttled and sunk. At four o'clock a terrible explosion 
 behind the Redan shook the whole camp ; it was followed by 
 four other explosions equally startling. The city was enveloped 
 in fire and smoke, and torn asunder by the tremendous shocks 
 of these volcanoes. At 4'45 the magazine of the Flagstaff 
 and Garden Batteries blew up. At 5'30 two of the southern 
 forts, the Quarantine and Alexander, went up into the air, and 
 the efl'ect of these explosions was immensely increased by the 
 rush of a great number of live shell that followed, and which 
 bui'st in all directions. While this was going on a steady 
 current of infantry was passing in dense masses to the north 
 side over the bridge, and at 6-45 the last battalion had escaped, 
 and the hill sides opposite the city were alive Avith Russian 
 troops. Several small explosions took place inside the town at 
 7'10. Columns of black smoke began to rise from the neigh- 
 bourhood of Fort Paul at 7"12. At 7*15 the connexion of the 
 floating-bridge with the south side Avas severed. At 7"10 flames 
 began to ascend from Fort Nicholas. At 8'7 the last part of 
 the bridge was floated off in portions to the north side. At 
 nine o'clock several violent explosions took place in the works 
 on our left, opposite the French. The town was by this time 
 in a mass of flames, and the pillar of black, grey, and velvety 
 fat smoke ascending from it seemed to support the very heavens. 
 The French continued to fire guns on the left, probably to keep out 
 stragglers, but ere the Russians left the place the Zouaves and 
 sailors had obtained entrance, and were busily engaged in plun- 
 dering. Not a shot Avas lii-ed to the front and centre. The 
 Russian steamers were very busy towing boats and stores 
 across. Our cavalry and sentries were sent up to the front 
 of the camps to prevent any one going into the town, but 
 without much success. I visited a good portion of the place. 
 Explosions occurred all through the day, particularly on the left 
 of the position.
 
 170 CAPTURE OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 The following After-Order of the day has been issued :— 
 
 " General Aftee-Okdee. 
 
 " Head Quarters, September 0. 
 
 " The Commander of the Forces congratulates the army on 
 the result of the attack of yesterday. 
 
 " The brilliant assault and occupation of the Malakhoff by our 
 gallant allies obliged the enemy to abandon the works they have 
 so long held Avith such bravery and determination. 
 
 " The Commander of the Forces returns his thanks to the 
 general officers and officers and men of the Second and Light 
 Divisions, who advanced and attacked with such gallantry the 
 worlvs of the Redan. He regrets, from the formidable nature of 
 the flanking defences, that their devotion did not meet with that 
 immediate success which it so well merited. 
 
 " He condoles and deeply sympathizes with the many brave 
 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men who are now suf- 
 fering from the wounds they received in the com-se of then* 
 noble exertions of yesterday. 
 
 " He deeply deplores the death of the many gallant officers 
 and men who have falleii in the final struggle of this long and 
 memorable siege. 
 
 " Their loss will be severely felt, and their names long re- 
 membered in this army and by the British nation. 
 
 " General Simpson avails himself of this opportunity to con- 
 gratidate and convey his warmest thanks to the general officers, 
 officers, and soldiers of the several divisions, to the Royal 
 Engineers and Artillery, for their cheerful endurance of almost 
 unparalleled hardships and sufterings, and for the unflinching- 
 courage and determination which on so many trying occasions 
 thej^ have evinced. 
 
 " It is with equal satisfaction that the Commander of the 
 Forces thanks the officers and men of the Naval Brigade for the 
 long and uniform course of valuable service rendered by them 
 fi'om the commencement of the siege. 
 
 " By order, 
 " H. W. Barnaed, Chief of the Staff"." 
 
 It is difficult, as I have had occasion to observe on similar 
 occasions, to give with any pretensions to accuracy the details of 
 a battle, but it becomes almost impossible to attain correctness
 
 CREDIT DUE TO THE RUSSIANS. 171 
 
 in describing sucli an affair as the assault on the Eednn under 
 the peculiar circumstances -which attended it. In addition to 
 the smoke of battle, flying clouds of dust mingled with sand 
 blew right into the faces of the men and swept the hills in their 
 rear, which were crowded with the spectators, or those who 
 tried to be so. The irregularity of the ground offered another 
 impediment to the view ; but greater than all these obstacles 
 was this, that no one could from any conceivable position in 
 front see what was going on inside the Ecdan, which seemed to 
 engulf our soldiers within its huge dun-coloured and ragged 
 parapets, only to vomit them forth again in diminished numbers. 
 It was all along but too plain to understand what was taking 
 place within from the external aspect of that ill-fated work, the 
 slopes of which have twice astonished the world with the sight 
 of British troops retreating after two successive attacks on its 
 formidable defences. This Eedan has cost us more lives than the 
 capture of Badajoz, without including those who have fallen in its 
 trenches and approaches ; and, although the enemy evacuated it, 
 we can scarcely claim the credit of having caused them such loss 
 that they retired oAving to their dread of a renewed assaidt. On 
 the contrary, we must, in fairness, admit that the Eussians 
 maintained their hold of the place till the French were esta- 
 blished in the Malakhofl", and the key of the position was 
 torn from their grasp. They might, indeed, have remained in 
 the place longer than they did, as tiie French were scarcely in 
 a condition to molest them from the Malakhoff with artillery ; 
 but the Eussian general is a man of too much genius and 
 experience as a soldier to lose men in defending an untenable 
 position, and his retreat was effected with masterly skill and 
 with perfect ease in the face of a victorious enemy. Covering 
 his rear by the flames of the burning city and by tremendous 
 explosions, which spoke in tones of portentous warning to those 
 who might have wished to cut off his retreat, he led his bat- 
 talions in narrow files across a deep arm of the sea, which ought 
 to have been commanded by our guns, and in the face of a 
 most powerful fleet. He actually paraded them in our sight as 
 they crossed, and carried off all his most useful stores and muni- 
 tions of war. He left us few trophies and many bitter memories. 
 He sank his ships and blew up his forts without molestation ; 
 nothing was done to harass him in his retreat with the exception 
 of some paltry efforts to l^reak down the bridge by cannon-shot, 
 or to shell the troops as they marched over.
 
 172 CAPTURE OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 His steamers towed liis boats across at tlieir leisure, and when 
 every man had been placed in safety, and not till then, the 
 Russians began to dislocate and iloat off the diilcrent portions of 
 their bridge and to pull it over to the north side. 
 
 Tuesday SIorning, 1 a.m., September H. 
 For the last hour an exceedingly violent storm has been raging 
 over the camp. The wind blows with such fuiy as to make the hut 
 in which I am writing rock to and fro, at the same time filling it 
 with fine dust which comes in through every crevice. The Eus- 
 sians are very busy with their signals over the Tchernaya. The 
 fires in Sebastopol, fanned by the wind, are spreading fast, and 
 the glare of the burning city illuminates the whole arcli of the 
 sky towards the north-west. 
 
 2 O'CLOCK A.M. 
 
 The storm has increased in strength, and rain is beginning to 
 fall heavily. The most dazzling flames of lightning shoot over 
 the plateau and light up the camp for an instant, the peals of 
 thunder are so short and startling as to resemble in this, while 
 they exceed in noise, the report of cannon. The rain has somewhat 
 lessened the intensity' of the fii'e at Sebastopol, but its flames and 
 those of the lightning seem at times to contend for the mastery. 
 There is, indeed, a great battle raging in the skies, and its 
 thunder mocks to scorn our heaviest cannonade. This supply of 
 water will be very seasonable to the camp, where that article of 
 consumption has been for a long time scanty and dirty. 
 
 4-15 A.:.i. 
 In the whole course of my life I never heard or saw anj'thing 
 like the deluge of rain which is now falling over this portion of 
 the camp. It beats on the roof with a noise like that of a cata- 
 ract : it is a veritable waterspout. The wind is shifting and 
 ranges all round the compass. The lightning is fainter, and the 
 gusts are less violent. Sometimes for a minute there is a pro- 
 found calm ; then again it blows a hurricane. 
 
 4-23 A.:\I. 
 
 The waterspout has passed away. Had it lasted ten minutes 
 longer it might have drowned the camp. 
 
 f)-45. 
 
 A tornado is passing over the camp once more — hail, storm, 
 and rain. The ground is converted into a mass of mud.
 
 STRENGTH OP THE AVOIUCS. 173 
 
 The disappointment of many persons who wished to spend a 
 qniet snng day in Sebastopol is diminished by the knowh?dije 
 that there is a positive order against going into the town, and 
 tluit General Pelissier has dccUired his sentries will shoot any 
 persons wlio maj' be found in the streets in disobedience of that 
 injnnction. Passes will be issued from the Adjutant-General's 
 department, without which all persons will be stopped at the 
 entrances to the works. The rain and hail quenched the fire, 
 which the wind had previouslj' fanned to exceeding fierceness, so 
 that there was little left for the flames to devour. Sebastopol 
 is now a mass of white ruins, streaked and barred with black 
 smoke. 
 
 For some reason unknown the mail is delayed to-day. Although 
 the wind is high, it is not strong enough to prevent a good 
 steamer putting to sea. All sorts of contradictory telegraphic 
 despatches have been going fronr the Admiral to the Post-office 
 at head-quarters throughout the day. It is a strange coinci- 
 dent that delays occurred in sending ofi' the mail after Alma 
 and Inkermann. One order was that the mail was to be landed 
 from the "'Argo," at Ivamiesch, and sent to the '"Argus," at 
 Balaklava, or vice versa as to the ships, for the names are rather 
 puzzling. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE IXTEEIOR OF SEVASTOPOL. 
 
 Strength of the Eussian works — The assault — Surprise at tlie result — 
 Gracluiil .sj)veacl of the contlagration — Explosions — I'hnider — Strange 
 ^.iglits in the burning city — Interior of tlie ;^[alakhofr — Horrible siglit 
 in till' Sebastopol Hospital — Attitudes of tlie dying — The Great Kedan 
 — (Jallantry of the assault — Cause of its failure — Destruction of the 
 Kussian steamers — Anniversary of the landing in the Crimea — Ilesults 
 of the campaign. 
 
 AVedxesday, September 12. 
 
 It is delightful to abandon the old heading, " The Siege of 
 Sebastopol," which for the last eleven months might have been 
 stereotyped, but it is not clear what is to be put in its place, for 
 the enemy, having abandoned the south side, seem prepared to 
 defend the north side, and to erect there another monument of 
 engineering skill, and to leave memorials of their dogged reso- 
 lution. The wonder of all visitors to the ruins of Sebastopol is
 
 174 THE INTERIOR OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 divided — tlicy are astonished at the strength of the wov]-:s, and 
 that they were ever taken ; thej^ are amazed that men could 
 have defended them so loni^ witli such ruin around them. 
 These feelings are apparently in opposition to each other, but a 
 glance at the phxce would explain the appai-ent contradiction. It 
 is clear, in the lirst place, that the fire of our artillery was 
 searching out eveiy nook and corner in the town, and that it 
 would have soon become utterly impossible for the Russians to 
 keep any body of men to defend their long line of parapet and 
 battery without such murderous loss as would speedily anni- 
 hilate an army. Their enormous bomb-proofs, large and 
 numerous as they were, could not hold the requisite force to 
 resist a general concerted attack made all along the line with 
 rapidity and withoiit pi-evious warning. On the other hand, the 
 ^strength of the works themselves is prodigious. One hears our 
 engineers feebly saying, " They are badly traced," and that kind 
 of thing, but it is quite evident that the Russian, who is no 
 match for the allies in the open field, has been enabled to sus- 
 tain the most tremendous bombardments ever known and a 
 siege of eleven months, that he was rendered capable of repuls- 
 ing one general assault, and that a subsequent attack upon him 
 at four points was only successful at one, which fortunately 
 happened to be the key of his position, and the inference is that 
 his engineers were of consummate ability, and furnished him 
 Vt^itli artificial strength that made him equal to our best efforts. 
 The details of the French attack will no doubt have been made 
 public before this letter reaches you. It is sufficient to say that 
 of the three or four points attacked — the Little Redan and the 
 Malakhoff on the right, and the ]3astion Centrale and the re- 
 entering angle of the FlagstaflP Work on the left — but one was 
 carried, and that was a closed work. The Great Redan, the 
 Little Redan, and the line of defence on the left were not taken, 
 although the attack was resolute and the contest obstinate and 
 bloody for both assailants and defenders. "Whether we ought 
 to have attacked the Great or Little Redan, or to have touched 
 the left at all, is another question, which is ventilated by many, 
 but which it is not for me to decide. It is certain that the 
 enemy knew his weakness, and was too good a strategist to 
 defend a position of which we held the key. Sebastopol in 
 flames, his ships sunk, told the stoiy next morning, and some 
 10,000 French and English soldiers were its commentators. 
 Could we have done so, it would have been well for the English
 
 PROGRESS OF TfiE FIRE. 175 
 
 to claim the lionour of joining in the assault on the Malaklioif, 
 the tower of which we had heaten into ruins, and abstain ftom 
 attacking the Redan, which could offer a desperate, and as 
 events proved, a successful resistance, till the works around the 
 ]\Ialakhoff were taken. 
 
 The surprise thi'oughout the camp on Sunday morning was 
 beyond description when the news spread that Sebastopol Avas 
 on lire, and that the enemy were retreating. The tremendous 
 explosions, which shook the very ground like so many earth- 
 quakes, failed to disturb many of our wearied soldiers. ^\ hen 
 I rose before daybreak, and got up to Cathcart's-hill, there were 
 not many ofEcers standing on that favourite spot; and the 
 sleepers who had lain down to rest, doubtful of the complete 
 success of the French, and certain of our own failui-e, little 
 dreamt that Sebastopol was ours. All was ready for a renewed 
 assault on the Redan, but the Russians having kept up a brisk 
 fire from the rifle-pits and embrasures to the last moment, and 
 having adopted the same plan along their lines, so as to blind 
 oui" eyes and engage our attention, abandoned it, as is supposed, 
 about twelve o'clock, and, the silence having attracted the atten- 
 tion of our men, some volunteers crept up and looked through 
 an embrasm-e, and found the place deserted by all, save the dead 
 and dying. Soon afterwards, wandering fires gleamed through 
 the streets and outskirts of the town — point after point became 
 alight — the flames shone out of the windows of the houses — 
 rows of mansions caught and burned up, and, before daybreak, 
 the town of Sebastopol — that fine and stately mistress of the 
 Euxine, on which we had so often turned a longing eye, — was 
 on fire from the sea to the Dockyard Creek. Fort Alexander 
 was blown up with a stupendous crash, that made the very earth 
 reel, early in the night. At sunrise four large explosions on 
 the left followed in quick succession, and announced the destruc- 
 tion of the Quarantine Fort, and of the magazines of the bat- 
 teries of the Central Bastion and Flagstaff Fort. In a moment 
 afterwards the proper left of the Redan was the scene of a very 
 heavy explosion, which must have destroyed a number of 
 wounded men on both sides. Fortunately, the soldiers who had 
 entered it early in the night were withdrawn. The Flagstaff 
 and Garden Batteries blew up, one after another, at 4"45. At 
 5"30 there were two of the largest and grandest explosions on 
 the left that ever shook the earth — most probably from Fort 
 Alexander and the Grand Magazine. The rush of black smoke,
 
 176 THE IXTERIOR OF SEBASTOPOL, 
 
 grey and wliite vapour, masses of stone, beams of timber, and 
 masonry into the air was appalling, and then followed the roar 
 of a great bombardment ; it was a magazine of shells blown np 
 into the air, and exploding like some gigantic pyrotechnic dis- 
 play in the sky — innumerable flashes of fire twittering high up 
 in the column of dark smoke over the town, and then changing 
 rapidly into as many balls of white smoke like little clouds. All 
 this time the Russians were marching with sullen tramp across 
 the bridge, and boats were busy carrying ofl' materiel from the 
 town, or bearing men to the south side, to complete the work of 
 destruction, and renew the fires of hidden mines, or light up 
 untouched houses. Of the fleet all that remained visible were 
 the eight steamers and the masts of the sunken line-of-battlc 
 ships. As soon as it was dawn the French began to steal from 
 their trenches into the burning town, undismayed by the flames, 
 by the terrors of these explosions, by the fire of a lurking 
 enemy, or by the fire of their own guns, which kept on slowly 
 discharging cannon shot and grape into the suburbs at regular 
 intervals, possibly with the very object of deterring stragglei's 
 from risking their lives. But red breeches and blue breeches, 
 tepi and Zouave fez, could soon be distinguished amid the 
 flames, moving from house to house. Before five o'clock there 
 were numbers of men coming back with plunder, such as it was, 
 and llussian relics were otlered for sale in camp before the 
 Eussian battalions had marched out of the city. The sailors, 
 too, were not behindhand in looking for " loot," and Jack could 
 be seen staggering under chairs, tables, and lumbering old pic- 
 tures, through evei'y street, and making his way back to the 
 trenches with vast accumulations of Avorthlessness. Several 
 men lost their lives by explosions on this and the following- 
 day. At 7'10 small detonations of shells and powder maga- 
 zines took place in the town behind the Bcdan, and on the 
 left of the Dockyard Creek. At 7"12 immense clouds of 
 black smoke rose from behind Fort Paul, probably from a 
 steamer, which we found burning in the dockyard. The 
 liussian columns, which had been defiling in a continuous 
 stream across the bridge, now became broken into sm;ill bodies, 
 or went over in intermittent masses, unscathed hy the shot and 
 shell which plunged into the water close beside them. At 7'45, 
 the last dense column marched past, and soon afterwards the 
 bridge was pulled asunder, and the pieces were all floated across 
 to the north side at 8'7. The boats did not cease pulling back-
 
 A PLEASING SCENE. 177 
 
 ward and forward all the time, and the steamers were exceed- 
 ingly busy long after the garrison moved. At nine there were 
 many explosions in the town amid the burning ruins, and the 
 battlements of Fort Nicholas appeared in flames. Still there 
 was no explosion there nor in Fort Paul. As the rush from 
 camp now became very great, and every one sought to visit the 
 Malakholf and the Redan, which were filled with dead and dying 
 men, a line of English cavalry was posted across the front from 
 our extreme left to the French right. They were stationed in 
 all the ravines and roads to the town and trenches, with orders 
 to keep back all persons except the Generals and Staff, and officers 
 and men on duty, and to stop all our men returning with plunder 
 from the town, and to take it from them. As they did not stop 
 the French, or Turks, or Sardinians, this order gave rise to a 
 good deal of grumbling, particularly when a man after lugging 
 a heavy chair several miles, or a table, or some such article, 
 was deprived of it by our sentries. The French in one instance 
 complained that our Dragoons let English soldiers pass with 
 Russian muskets and would not permit the French to carry off 
 these trophies, but there was not any foundation for the com- 
 plaint. There was assuredly no jealousy on one side or the 
 other. It so happened that as the remnants of the French 
 regiments engaged on the left against the MalakhofF and Little 
 Redan marched to their tents this morning, our Second Division 
 was drawn up on the parade-ground in front of their camp, and 
 the French had to pass their lines. The instant the leading- 
 regiment of Zouaves came up to the spot where our first regi- 
 ment was placed, the men, with one spontaneous burst, rent the 
 air with an English cheer. The French officers drew their 
 swords, their men dressed up and marched past as if at a 
 review, while regiment after regiment of the Second Division 
 caught up the cry, and at last our men presented arms to 
 their brave comrades of France, the officers on both sides 
 saluted with their swords, and this continued till the last man 
 had marched by. Mingled with the plunderers from the front 
 were many wounded men. The ambulances never ceased, now 
 moving heavily and slowly with their burdens, again rattling at 
 a trot to the front for a fresh cargo, and the ground between the 
 trenches and the camp was studded with carolets or mule litters. 
 Already the funeral parties had conunenced their labours. The 
 Russians all this time were swarming on the north side, and evinced 
 the liveliest interest in the progress of the explosions and con- 
 
 VOL. II. N
 
 178 THE INTEMOR OP SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 flagrations. They took up ground in their old camps, and 
 swarmed all over the face of the hills behind the northern iorts. 
 Their steamers cast anchor, or were moored close to the shore 
 among the creeks, on the north side, near Fort Catherine. Ey 
 degrees the Generals, French and English, and the staff officers, 
 edged down upon tlie town, but Fort Paul had not yet gone up, 
 and Fort Nicholas was burning, and our engineers declared the 
 place would be unsafe for forty-eight hours, iloving down, 
 however, on the right Hank of our cavalry pickets, a small party 
 of us managed to turn them cleverly, and to get out among the 
 French works between the Mamelon and Malakhoif. The 
 ground is here literally paved with shot and shell, and the surface 
 is deeply honeycombed by the explosions of the bombs at evei'y 
 square yard. The road was crowded with Frenchmen, returning 
 with paltry plunder from Sebastopol, and with files of Russian 
 prisoners, many of them wounded, and all dejected, with the 
 exception of a fine little boy, in a Cossack's cap and a tiny 
 uniform greatcoat, who seemed rather pleased with his kind 
 captors. There was also one stout Russian soldier, who had 
 evidently been indulging in the popularly credited sources of 
 Dutch courage, and who danced all the way into the camp 
 with a Zouave. There were ghastly sights on the waj', too, — 
 Russians who had died, or were dying as they lay, brought 
 so far towards the hospitals from the fatal Malakhoff. Passing 
 through a maze of trenches, of gabionnades, and of zigzags 
 and parallels, by which the French had worked their sure 
 and deadly way close to the heart of the Russian defence, 
 and treading gently among the heaps of dead, where the ground 
 bears full tokens of the bloody fray, we come at last to the head 
 of the French sap. It is barely ten yards from that to the base 
 of the huge sloping mound of earth which rises full twenty 
 feet in height above the level, and shows in every direction the 
 grinning muzzles of its guns. The tricolor waves placidly from 
 its highest point, and already the French are busy constructing 
 a semaphore on the top. Step briskly out of the sap — avoid 
 those poor mangled heroes who are lying all round, and come 
 on. There is a deep ditch at your feet, some twenty or twenty- 
 two feet deep, and ten feet broad. See, here is the place where 
 the French crossed — here is their bridge of planks, and here they 
 swarmed in upon the unsuspecting defenders of the Malakhoff. 
 They had not ten yards to go. We had two hundred, and were 
 then out of breath. Were not planks better than scaling-ladders?
 
 INSIDE THE MALAKHOFF. 179 
 
 See how easily the French crossed. You ohserve on your right 
 hand, as you issue from the head of the French trench, a line of 
 gabions on the ground running up to this bridge. That is a 
 flying sap, which the French made the instant they got out of 
 the trench into the MalakhoJf, so that they were enabled to pour 
 a continuous stream of men into the works, with comparative 
 safety from the flank fii-e of the enemy. In the same way they 
 at once dug a trench across the work inside, to see if there were 
 any galvanic wires to fire mines. Mount the parapet and 
 descend — of what amazing thickness are these embrasures ! 
 From the level of the ground inside to the top of the parapet 
 cannot be less than eighteen feet. There are eight rows of 
 gabions piled one above the other, and as each row recedes 
 towai'ds the top it leaves in the ledge below an excellent 
 hanqiiette for the defenders. Inside the sight is too terrible to 
 dwell upon. The French are carrying away their own and 
 the Russian wounded, and there are four distinct piles of dead 
 formed to clear the way. The ground is marked by pools of 
 blood, and the smell is already noisome ; swarms of flies settle 
 on dead and dying ; broken muskets, torn clothes, caps, shakos, 
 swords, bayonets, bags of bread, canteens, and haversacks, are 
 lying in indescribable confusion all over the place, mingled with 
 heaps of shot, of grape, bits of shell, cartridges, case and canister, 
 loose powder, official papers, and cooking tins. The traverses 
 ai-e so high and deep that it is almost impossible to get a view 
 of the whole of the Malakhoff from any one spot, and there is a 
 high mound of earth in the middle of the work, either intended 
 as a kind of shell proof, or the remains of the old White Tower. 
 The guns, which to the number of sixty were found in the 
 work, are all ships' guns, and mounted on ships' carriages, and 
 worked in the same v/ay as ships' guns. There are a few old- 
 fashioned, oddly-shaped mortars. Look around the work, and 
 you will see that the strength of the Eussian was his weakness 
 — he fell into his own bomb-proofs. In the parapet of the work 
 may be observed several entrances — very narrow outside, but 
 descending and enlarging downwards, and opening into rooms 
 some four or five feet high, and eight or ten square. These 
 are only lighted from the outside by day, and must have been 
 pitcii dark at night, unless the men were allowed lanterns. 
 Here the garrison retired when exposed to a heavy bombard- 
 ment. The odour of these narrow chambers is villanous, and 
 the ail" reeks with blood and abominations unutterable. There 
 n2
 
 180 THE INTERIOR OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 are several of these place?, and they might bid defiance to the 
 heaviest mortars in the world : over the roof is a layer of 
 ships' masts, cut into junks, and deposited carefully; then 
 there is over tliem a solid layer of earth, and above that 
 a layer of gabions, and above that a pile of earth again. 
 In one of tiiese dungeons, which is excavated in the 
 solid rock, and was probably underneath the old White Tower, 
 the officer commanding seems to have lived. It must have 
 been a dreary residence. The floor and the entrance were lit- 
 tered a foot deep with reports, returns, and perhaps despatches 
 assuring the Czar that the place had sustained no damage. The 
 garrison were in these narrow chambers enjoying their siesta, 
 which they invariably take at twelve o'clock, when the French 
 burst in on them like a torrent, and, as it were, drowned them 
 in their holes. The Malakhoif is a closed work ; it is only open 
 at the rear to the town, and the French having once got in, 
 threw open a passage to their own rear, and closed up the front 
 and the lateral communications with the curtains leading to the 
 Great Redan and to the Little Redan. Thus they were enabled 
 to pour in their supports, in order and without loss, in a con- 
 tinued stream, and to resist the efforts of the Russians, which 
 were desperate and repeated, to retake the place. They brought 
 up their tield-guns at once, and swept the Russian reserves and 
 supports, M'hile Strange's batteries from the Quarries carried 
 death through their ranks in every quarter of the Karabelnaia. 
 With the Malakhoff the enemy lost Sebastopol. The ditch 
 outside, towards the north, was yet full of French and Russians 
 piled over each other in horrid confusion. On the right, towards 
 the Little Redan, the ground was literally strewn with bodies 
 as thick as they could lie, and in the ditch they were piled over 
 each other. Here the French, victorious in the Malakhoff, met 
 with a heavy loss and a series of severe repulses. The Russians 
 lay inside the work in heaps like carcases in a butcher's cai't, 
 and the wounds, the blood — the sight, exceeded all I had 
 hitherto witnessed. Descending from the MalakholT, we come 
 upon a suburb of ruined houses open to the sea — it is filled with 
 dead. The Russians have crept away into holes and corners in 
 every house, to die like poisoned rats ; artillery horses, with 
 their entrails torn open by shot, are»stretched all over the space 
 at the back of the JMalakhoff, marking the place where the 
 Russians moved up their last column to retake it under the 
 cover of a heavy field battery. Every house, the church, some
 
 HOREOKS OF WAB. 181 
 
 public buildings, soiitiy-boxes, all alike are broken and riddled 
 by cannon and mortar. Turning to the left, we proceed by a 
 very tall snow-white wall of great length to the dockyard gate- 
 way. This wall is pierced and broken through and through 
 with cannon. Inside are the docks, which, naval men say, are 
 unequalled iu the world. Tlie steamer is blazing merrily in 
 one of them. Gates and store sides are splintered and pierced 
 by shot. There are the stately dockyard buildings on the 
 right, which used to look so clean and white and spruce. Parts 
 of them are knocked to atoms, and hang together in such shreds 
 and patches that it is only wonderful they cohere. The soft 
 white stone of which they and the walls are made is readily 
 knocked to pieces by a cannon-shot. Fort Paul is untouched. 
 There it stands, as if frowning defiance at its impending fate, 
 right before us, and warning voices bid all people to retire, and 
 even the most benevolent retreat from the hospital, which is in 
 one of these buildings, where they are tending the miserable 
 wounded. I visited it next day. 
 
 Of all the pictures of the horrors of war which have ever 
 been presented to the world, the hospital of Sebastopol pre- 
 sents the most horrible, heart-rending, and revolting. It cannot 
 be described, and the imagination of a Fuseli could not conceive 
 anything at all like unto it. How the poor human body can 
 be mutilated and yet hold its soul within it when every limb is 
 shattered, and every vein and artery is pouring out the life- 
 stream, one might study here at every step, and at the same 
 time wonder how little will kill ! The building used as an 
 hospital is one of the noble piles inside the dockyard wall, and 
 is situated iu the centre of the row at right angles to the 
 line of the Eedan. The whole row was peculiarly exposed to 
 the action of shot and shell bounding over the Redan, and to 
 the missiles directed at the Barrack Battery, and it bears in 
 sides, roof, windows, and doors, frequent and distinctive proofs 
 of the severity of the cannonade. Entering one of these doors, 
 I beheld such a sight as few men, thank God, have ever wit- 
 nessed ! In a long low room, supported by square pillars, 
 arched at the top, and dimly lighted through shattered and 
 nnglazed window-frames, lay the wounded Russians, who had 
 been abandoned to our mercies by their General. The wounded, 
 did I say ? No, but the dead — the rotten and festering corpses 
 of the soldiers, Avho were left to die in their extreme agony, 
 untended, uncared for, packed as close as they could be stowed.
 
 182 THE INTEKIOR OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 some on the floor, others on wretched trestles and bedsteads, 
 or pallets of straw, sopped and saturated with blood, which 
 oozed and trickled through upon the floor, mingling with the 
 di'oppings oi" corruption. With the I'oar of exploding fortresses 
 in their ears, with shells and shot pouring through the roof and 
 sides of the rooms in which thej'^ lay, with the crackling and 
 hissing of fire around them, these poor fellows who had served 
 their loving friend and master the Czar but too well, were 
 consigned to their terrible fate. Many might have been saved 
 by ordinary care. Many lay, yet alive, with maggots crawling 
 about in theii' wounds. Many, nearly mad by the scene around 
 them, or seeking escape from it in their extremest agony, had 
 roUed away under the beds, and glared out on the heart-stricken 
 spectator — oh ! with such looks ! Many with legs and arms 
 broken and twisted, the jagged splinters sticking through the 
 raw flesh, implored aid, water, food, or pity, or, deprived of 
 speech by the approach of death, or by dreadful injuries in the 
 head or trunk, pointed to the lethal spot. Many seemed bent 
 alone on making their peace with Heaven. The attitudes of 
 some were so hideously fantastic as to appal and root one to the 
 ground by a sort of dreadful fascination. Could that bloody 
 mass of clothing and white bones ever have been a human 
 being, or that burnt black mass of flesh have ever had a human 
 soiil ? It was fearful to think what the answer must be. The 
 bodies of numbers of men were swollen and bloated to an in- 
 credible degree, and the features distended to a gigantic size, 
 with eyes protruding from the sockets, and the blackened tongue 
 lolling out of the mouth, compressed tightly by the teeth, which 
 had set upon it in the death-rattle, made one shudder and reel 
 round. In the midst of one of these " chambers of horrors " — 
 for there were many of them — were found some dead and some 
 living English soldiers, and among them poor Captain Vaughan, 
 of the 90th, who has since died of his wounds. I confess it 
 was impossible for me to stand the sight, which horrified our 
 most experienced sm-geons ; the deadly, clammy stench, the 
 smell of gangrened wounds, of corrupted blood, of rotting flesh, 
 were intolerable and odious beyond endurance. But what must 
 have the wounded felt, who were obliged to endure all this, and 
 Avho passed away without a hand to give them a cup of water, 
 or a voice to say one kindly word to them ? Most of these men 
 were wounded on Saturday — many, perhaps, on the Friday be- 
 fore — indeed, it is impossible to say how long they jnigbt h^YO
 
 THE GREAT REDAN. 183 
 
 been there. In the hurry of their retreat, the Muscovites seem 
 to have carried in dead men to get them out of the way, and to 
 have put them upon pallets in horrid mockery. So that their 
 retreat was secured, the enemy cared hut little for their wounded. 
 On IMonday only did they receive those whom we sent out to 
 them during a brief armistice for the piirpose, which was, I believe, 
 sought by ourselves, as our over-crowded hospitals could not con- 
 tain, and our over-worked surgeons could not attend to any more. 
 The Great Redan was next visited. Such a scene of wreck 
 and ruin ! — all the houses behind it a mass of broken stones — 
 a clock turret, with a shot right through the clock ; a pagoda 
 in ruins ; another clock-tower with all the clock destroyed save 
 the dial, with the words, " Barwise, London," thereon; cook- 
 houses, where human blood was running among the utensils ; in 
 one place a shell had lodged in the boiler, and blown it and its 
 contents, and probably its attendants, to pieces. Everywhere 
 wreck and destruction. This evidently was a heau quartier 
 once. The oldest inhabitant could not recognise it now. 
 Climbing up to the Redan, which was fearfully cumbered with 
 the dead, v>re witnessed the scene of the desperate attack and 
 defence, which cost botli sides so much blood. The ditch out- 
 side made one sick — it was piled up with English dead, some 
 of them scorched and blackened by the explosion, and others 
 lacerated beyond recognition. The quantity of broken gabions 
 and gun-carriages here was extraordinary ; the ground was 
 covered with them. The bomb-proofs were the same as in the 
 MalakhofF, and in one of them a music-book was found, with a 
 woman's name in it, and a canary bird and vase of flowers were 
 outside the entrance. 
 
 Thbrsdat, Seirtemher 13. 
 
 As the Russian steamers were still intact, notwithstanding 
 the efforts of the French battery at the head of the roads 
 near Inkermann to touch them, it was resolved to construct a 
 battery on the ruins of Fort Paul, within 700 yards of the 
 northern shore, under which they had taken refuge. The 
 steamers lay in three irregular lines to the eastward of Fort 
 Catherine, where the deep creeks in the high (ilifts gave them 
 some sort of shelter against the fire of the French. There they 
 were agents of much mischief and injury to the allies from the 
 battle of Inkermann down to this time. There was the famous 
 " Vladimir," with her two large funnels and elegant clipper hull ; 
 the " Elbceuf," the steamer which made the celebrated dash into
 
 184 THE INTERIOR OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 the Black Sea througli all our fleet last j'ear, and burnt some 
 Turkish vessels near Heraclea, just as the " Vladimir" was seen 
 in Odessa harbour in tlie mouth of July, 1854 ; there was the 
 " Gromonossctz," which had caused such an annoyance from the 
 Dockyard Creek ; and tliere were five others with hard, and to 
 me unknown names, as calmly floating on the water as though 
 no eager eyes were watching from every battery to lay a gun upon 
 them. A number of very capacious dockyard Inmps and rowboats 
 were also secured in these creeks or hung on by the steamers. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon of the 11th (Tuesday) some of 
 the Kussian guns in the ruined battery below the Redan were 
 turned on these steamers, and in a few rounds, not more than 
 twelve, I think, succeeded in hulling them eight times. The 
 range was, however, rather long, and it became expedient to 
 move a little nearer, in order to afford them the full advantage 
 of our shot and shell. On Tuesday evening, when Lieutenant 
 Gough, of the " London," who commanded in the Naval Bat- 
 teries on the left attack, came down with his men, he was 
 ordered to take his relief over to the right attack, and to 
 accomjtany Lieutenant Anderson, R.E., down to the town, in 
 order to erect a battery for two ninety-five cwt. guns on the 
 right of St. Paul's Battery. The site of this batterj' was about 
 700 j'arcls from Fort Catherine, on the opposite side. The men, 
 although deprived of the quiet night and undistui'bed repose 
 they anticipated, set to work with a will, and began throwing 
 up the parapet, and filling gabions, and, as it was possible that 
 some interruption of the work might take place from the other 
 side, a covering party of 120 men was ordered down from the 
 trenches. There were French sentries in charge of this portion 
 of the place, and the little party found that their allies were on 
 the qui vive, and were keeping a sharp look-out on all sides. 
 The men had been working some time, when it was observed 
 that one of the enemy's steamers had left the north side, and 
 was slowly and noiselessly dropping down on the very spot 
 where the sailors and the covering party were at their labours. 
 The night was dark, but they could clearly make out tlie 
 steamer edging down upon them, and coming closer and closer. 
 Every moment they expected her guns to open on them with griipc 
 and canister. The men therefore lay down upon their faces, and 
 kept as near to the ground as they could, and the steamer came 
 over gently till she was within about 100 yards of the very spot 
 where they had been worldng. They heai'd her anchor splash
 
 RUSSIAN STEAMERS DESTROYED. 185 
 
 into the water, and then the rattle of her cahle as it ran throiig]i 
 the hawsehole. Now, certainly, they were " going to catch it ;" 
 but, no, the Russian opened no port and showed no light, hut 
 seemed to be making himself comfortable in his new quarters. 
 Captain Villiers, of the 47th, who commanded the covering 
 party, ordered his men to observe the utmost silence, and the 
 same injunction Avas given to the seamen. About 2*30 in the 
 morning, when she had been an hour or so in her novel berth, a 
 broad light was perceived in her fore hatchway. The leading 
 steamer on the opposite side in a second afterwards exhibited 
 gleams of equal brightness, and then one ! two ! three ! four ! 
 five ! — as though from signal guns, the remaining steamers, with 
 one exception, emitted jets of fire from their bows. The jets 
 soon became columns of fiame and smoke— the wind blew fresh 
 and strong, and the night was dark-, so that the fire spread with 
 rapidity along the vessels, and soon lighted up the whole of the 
 northern heavens. The masts were speedily licked and warmed 
 into a fiery glow, and the rigging burst out into fitful wavering 
 lines of light struggling with the wind for life ; the j-ards shed 
 lambent showei's of sparks and burning splinters upon the water. 
 The noithern works could be readily traced by the light of the 
 conflagration, and the faces of the Russian soldiers and sailors 
 who were scattered about on the face of the clifi^ shone out now 
 and then and justified Rembrandt. The work of destruction 
 sped rapidly. The vessels were soon nothing but huge arks of 
 blinding light, which hissed and crackled fiercely, and tlu-ew up 
 clouds of sparks and embers, and the guns, as they became hot, 
 exploded, and shook the crazy hull to atoms. One after another 
 they went down into the seething waters. The cavalry out on 
 the plains wondered what great conilagration had broken out 
 anew in the town. At daybreak, only one steamer remained. A 
 boat pushed alongside her from the shore. They boarded her, 
 and, after remaining below about ten minute.s, returned to 
 their boat and regained the shore. Very speedily the vessel 
 began to be seized with a sort of internal convulsion — fu'st she 
 dipped her bows, then her stem, then gave a few iineasy shakes, 
 and at length, after a short shiver, went down bodily, cleverly 
 scuttled. Thus was Sinope avenged. Of the men who planned, 
 the sailors who executed, and the ships which were engaged on 
 that memorable expedition, scarcely one trace now remains, 
 KornilofF, Nachimofi', Istomine, and their crews have disai^peared : 
 their vessels now rest at the bottom of the roadstead of Sebas-
 
 186 THE INTERIOR OF SEBASTOPOL. 
 
 topol. The Russians prefer being agents of their own destruction, 
 and do not give the conqueror a chance of parading the fruits of 
 his victory. We cannot delight the good people of Plymouth or 
 Portsmouth by the sight of Russian liners and steamers. We 
 can only drive the enemy to the option of destroying or of doing 
 the work for him, and he invariably prefers the former. 
 
 The Russians are fortifying themselves on the north side. 
 The French are gone towards Baidar. 
 
 Our Naval Brigade, after long, brilliant, and ill-requited 
 services, is to be broken up at once. 
 
 Friday, Septeniber 14. 
 
 It is just one year this day since we landed at Kalamita Bay. 
 In that time we have stormed the heights of the Alma, sustained 
 the glorious disaster of Balaklava, fought the great light of 
 Inkermaun, swept the sea of Azoff and its seaboard, wasted 
 Kertch, and seized upon Yenikale — have witnessed the battle of 
 the Tchernaya — have opened seven bombardments upon Sebas- 
 topol — have held in check every general and every soldier that 
 Russia could spare ; and now, after the endurance of every ill 
 that an enemy at home and abroad could inflict upon us — after 
 passing through the summer's heat and winter's frost — after 
 being purged in the foe of sickness and death, repulse and dis- 
 aster, and above all in the fiery glow of victory, the British 
 standard floats over Sebastopol. But our army is not the same. 
 Physiologists tell us that we undergo perpetual change, and that 
 not a bit of the John Smith of 1854 goes into the composition 
 of the same respected individual in 1864, but we have managed 
 to work up tens of hundreds of atoms in our British army 
 between 1854 and 1855 ; and there are few indeed to be found in 
 the present body corporate who landed in the Crimea a twelve- 
 month ago. Some regiments have been thrice renewed, others 
 have been changed twice over. The change is not for the better 
 — the old stufl" was better than the new. 
 
 The silence in camp is almost alarming ; were it not for a gun 
 now and then between the town and the north side, and across 
 the Tchernaya, it would be appalling. Tliere is an English- 
 French Commission sitting in the town. Colonel Windham 
 is Commandant of the British portion of it. The 3rd BuflTs 
 have received orders to occupy it, and the French garrison is 
 strengthened. The enemj^ work all day at new batteries. The 
 Guards are to make the roads between Balaklava and the camp. 
 
 The Ai-my Works Corps, like all bodies of men who come
 
 FEMALE DOCTOR. 187 
 
 out from England to this climato, have sufiered severely from 
 disease and death ; and up to the present time not less than 
 sLxteen per cent, of the navvies and artificers have died from 
 different forms of malady. One ship, which sailed some time 
 ago from home with a considerahle numher of them, has not 
 yet readied Balaklava, thouglx she is considerably beyond her 
 time. The corps at present here does not exceed 540 men, and 
 they are principally employed in trenching and repairing the 
 railway, which is a vital and all-important work. Sir H. Jones 
 made an application to Mr. Doyne to send a portion of his men 
 into the trenches to assist in the siege approaches, but the latter 
 very prudently m-ged on the General the necessity of getting 
 the railway into proper order, and the bad economy of placing 
 skilled labourers in a position which would certainly not con- 
 duce to the satisfactory development of their capabilities, as no 
 untrained and undisciplined men without arms or military 
 habits and experience could be expected to pursue their work 
 calmly and energetically with round shot and grape tearing 
 through them, and shell bursting amid their ranks. At the 
 same time, Mr. Doyne and the gentlemen employed as officers 
 of the corps expressed their readiness to lead their men into the 
 trenches, if the General of Engineers required them to do so. 
 The reasons urged against such a mode of emploj^ing the corps 
 prevailed, and they are now engaged in the more safe and 
 peaceful works for which they are peculiarly fitted. Locomotives 
 and stationary engines have been applied for, and will speedjly 
 be sent out to prepare the railway more adequately for its 
 herculean task in the winter, and Mr. Dojnie expects an aug- 
 mentation of 500 men to the corps under his command. The 
 sickness which harassed the first comers is now of a milder 
 type, and diminishes daily in virulence. Many of the men have 
 suffered from theii- own recklessness in eating and drinking; 
 but it is also a fact that some of the steadiest and most sober 
 men in the corps shared the fate of their imprudent and thought- 
 less comrades. In the hour of their illness, these men, in 
 common with many others, have found a kind and successful 
 physician. Close to the railway, half-way between the Col de 
 Balaklava and Kadikoi, Mrs. Seacole, formerly of Kingston and 
 of several other parts of the world, such as Panama and Chagres, 
 has pitched her abode — an u-on storehouse, with wooden sheds 
 and outlying tributaries, and here she doctors and cures all 
 manner of men witb extraordinary success. She is always in
 
 188 FIRST FRUITS OF VICTORY. 
 
 attendance near the battle-field to aid the wounded, and has 
 earned many a poor fellow's blesshigs. 
 
 The " Diamond," " AVasp," and " Leandev" go home at once. 
 
 Saturday, September 15, 10 a.m. 
 No news. The Russi'Mis are still fortifying the north side. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 FIEST FKUITS OF A'ICTOET. 
 
 The armies prepare to go into winter quarters — An armistice — The work of 
 destruction by no means complete — Inaction — Crimean mud — Accumu- 
 lation of stores — Anniversary of the landing of the Allies at Old Fort — 
 Keduced strength of the Guards — The Highland brigade — First anni- 
 versary of the battle of the Alma — Distribution of medals, clasps, and 
 ribands — Alma dinners — Ceremonies in the French camp in honour of 
 the event — General Pelissier made a Marshal of France — Strange 
 movements in the Kussian camp — A large magazine described — Dis- 
 appearance of the Russian Donny brook Fair — Absurd rumours — 
 Russian line — A dead lock — Abundance of supplies in the Russian 
 camp — A flag of truce — French mortar practice — Fleasant diversion — 
 Perplexing evolutions performed by the fleet — French breaching 
 battery — Boat expeditions dui-ing the night — A thunder-storm. 
 
 Sei)tember IS. 
 Since last Saturday veiy little has occurred, and the news may 
 be briefly stated. The Russians continue to strengthen their 
 position on the north side, and to hang on their old points of 
 occupation towards the ridges over Aitodor. The Naval Brigade 
 has been broken up and sent on board ship. The French have 
 moved large masses of the corps of the left siege army to the 
 rear between Baidar and Tchorgoun. Our batteries have been 
 disarmed. The roads to the camp are undergoing repair, and 
 the Army Works Corps, assisted by soldiers, is engaged in the 
 formation of a new road from Balaklava which will run parallel 
 with the line of railway. Everything around us indicates an 
 intention on the part of the chiefs of putting the army into 
 winter quarters on the site of their present encampment, bxit 
 there are signs equally unequivocal that a blow is to be struck at 
 the enemy before the troops settle down to encounter the rigours 
 of the winter. These signs, insignificant as they may appear 
 when taken separately, in the aggregate are unmistakeable, unless 
 our Generals merely desire to wile away the time in shamming 
 and in frightening the enemj' with bugaboo expeditions, just as 
 they are endeavouring to alarm us by their extensive fortifica-
 
 THE WORK OP DESTRUCTION^. ISO 
 
 tions on the north side, or as they sought to intimidntc us in 
 foiiner days by erecting street batteries, barricades, and internal 
 lines of defence. In the first place, great activity prevails 
 throughout the Land Transport Corps, several divisions of which 
 have received ordei's to hold themselves in readiness for imme- 
 diate service. Colonel McMurdo is busily engaged in ascertain- 
 ing the actual capabilities of his corps, and has been required to 
 furnish at head-quarters an accurate estimate of the amount of 
 supplies of a certain character which he could convey, and of the 
 number of mules and horses fit for duty. 
 
 Our Sappers and Miners are at work sinking deep mines, by 
 which they intend to blow in and destroy the unrivalled docks, 
 that have cost Russia so much anxiety, money, and bloodshed, 
 and, if it were not that they were intended to be, and have been, 
 accessory to violence and slaughter, one would regret that such 
 splendid memorials of human skill should be shattered to atoms; 
 but the fleet of Sinope sailed thence, and in them it was repaired 
 on its return, and these vessels were built, not to foster peace and 
 commerce, but to smite and destroy them. Preparations for 
 the desti'uction of these colossal works are being made under 
 the eyes of the enemy, who do not attempt to disturb the 
 working parties by firing from the north side, although their 
 guns have the range of the place at tolerable elevations. Nearer to 
 them still, on the open quay, parties of our men are constantly 
 engaged in burning old stores, clothing, boots, belts, shakos, 
 bags, and such articles as the enemy left behind them, but the 
 Russians appear not to care for these things. They are not 
 to be always trusted, however, for if a knot of officers or horse- 
 men collect together in one place they unexpectedly send a shell 
 or shot among them, and now and then do a little mischief to 
 the remains of their own town. They could sweep some of the 
 chosen look-out places with grape, but it is believed they are 
 waiting for a grand collection of Generals, Staff Officers, and 
 Officers, to astonish them all with a broadside some fine day. 
 Mr. Large, Paymaster, Rifle Brigade, was slightly wounded by 
 a sheU ii'om the north side, and his horse was killed at the same 
 time. 
 
 The French have erected a mortar battery behind Fort Nicholas, 
 with which the}^ shell the Russian working parties. The latter 
 ibrt affords excellent cover, though it is rather avoided, in con- 
 sequence of a popular belief that it is extensively mined, and will 
 go up some fine day with a crowd of distinguished visitors. Li 
 spite of the flames it is intact, and does not in any way justify
 
 190 FIRST FRUITS OP VICTORY. 
 
 the assertions of those travellers who maintained that the Rus- 
 sian casemated forts would crumble to pieces, or would smother 
 the gunners with smoke. The casemates are open, with fine airy- 
 galleries behind, and the whole building is most admirably and 
 compactly built. Fort Alexander is likewise comparatively speak- 
 ing but little injured, although the mines underneath exploded 
 with a tremendous crash. The walls of the fort are still erect. 
 Fort Paul alone is in perfect ruins. 
 
 There was an armistice for a few minutes on Tuesday to effect 
 an interchange of letters for the benefit of the prisoners, and to 
 make inquiries respecting missing officers on both sides. The 
 Russian officer who conducted it, and who is supposed to have 
 been the commander of the Vladimir, is said to have expressed 
 the same opinion as the Russian Admiral did on Monday, the 
 10th inst. — " With this before us," pointing to the ruins of 
 Sebastopol, "peace is foi-ther off' than ever." The Russians 
 have very large parks of artillery on the north side of the har- 
 bour ; and the piles of provisions, materiel, and coal which ai'e 
 visible, show that they do not want the means of carrying on 
 the war, as far as such things are concerned. Many of the 
 guns found here were cast at Carron ; this fact is evident from 
 the words on theii* trunnion heads and breeches 
 
 Early tliis Aveek the army was agitated by the universal report 
 and the consequent belief that some great expedition would be 
 undertaken forthwith before the troops settled down in their 
 winter quarters. The French made a great demonstration 
 towards Raidar and Aitodor, which led to no result, with the 
 exception of directing the attention of the enemy to the pass 
 fi'om the latter place to the plateau of the Belbek. At length 
 all hope of active operations being commenced against the 
 Russian lines from Bakshiserai to Sebastopol before the winter 
 sets in has been abandoned ; but there is some reason to expect 
 that the advantage offered by Eupatoria as a base for operations 
 will no longer be neglected, and that the allies will act against 
 the Russian rear from that point. It is said that Simpheropol 
 is quite open, and that no field-works or redoubts have been 
 erected for its protection. 
 
 Every one pays a visit to Sebastopol. The fear of mines 
 has subsided. All day we walk about and watch the Russians. 
 Now and then the soldiers blow themselves up impromptu in 
 the magazines, but, generally speaking, few accidents have 
 occuiTed.
 
 SEBASTOfOL IN RUINS. 191 
 
 It is not easy to destroy a city, and Titus must have had 
 wonderful engineers if he really razed Jerusalem to the ground. 
 Sebastopol, indeed, is in ruius ; it has been shattered in many 
 places to splinters, as it were, by the iron storm which for 
 many long months has been driven by the fierce breath of gun- 
 powder against it. The retreating enemy have not spared it, 
 and the agency of fire and the shocks of great explosions have 
 been added by them to the devastating etl'ects of cannonade and 
 bombardment, wliich smote down palaces, churches, storehouses, 
 barracks, and stately buildings, as though they were built of 
 cards. But a large portion of Sebastopol remains, in spite of 
 these terrible visitations, and although there is scarcely one 
 house in the place which is uninjured, or one square yard of 
 ground which does not bear the traces of shot or shell, there 
 is enough left to show that it really was a princely city, and 
 that no pains had been spared to render it the queen city of 
 the Euxine. In the course of a year the finest place in the 
 world would look neglected and du-ty, if no steps were taken to 
 keep the streets trim and orderly. The cessation of commerce 
 would permit the grass to grow in the public ways, and it may 
 readily be imagined that the inhabitants of a besieged city could 
 find but little time to preserve the gai'dens and places of re- 
 creation neat and kempt. Grass does, indeed, grow in the 
 streets of Sebastopol, the gardens are overrun with weeds, and 
 the vineyards at the back of the Redan bear grape of a very 
 different nature from that for which they once were famous. 
 The walks are full of rank grass, and the borders of the paths 
 are trodden down by the soldiery. 
 
 Tv'ednesday, September 19. 
 
 There has not been any further indication of an advance 
 towards the Belbek — on the contrary, the French are Avith- 
 di'awing a portion of their force, and there is apparently a 
 change of councils and of plans among the allied leaders. The 
 enemy persist in casting up formidable earthworks on the north 
 side, and we look on as we did from September 27 till October 
 17, 1854, and see them preparing their defences, with the sure 
 conviction that we shall be able to carry them, or sap up to 
 them, or take them in some way or other in a year or two. 
 jMeantime, the weather comes in with a word of its own, and 
 says to our deliberating Generals, " Stop ! as you have waited 
 so long, I wont let you move now." It began to rain to-day 
 soon after twelve o'clock, and the camp speedily looked as
 
 192 FIRST FRUITS Of VICTOKY. 
 
 gloomy, black, and wretched as it usually does during the 
 winter. The wind, with rare exceptions, accompanies these 
 heavy falls of rain in the Crimea, and it blew to-day iuriously. 
 The ground was rapidly turned into the well-known Sebastopol 
 paste, famous for its adhesive properties, never to be shaken or 
 rubbed off by any amount of scrubbing ; washing is the only 
 operation to which it succumbs. Every one who is obliged to 
 walk forth is hobbling about on two lumps of earth, with large 
 lateral extensions, which form under his feet, fasten to his shoes, 
 and increase in bulli at every step. Now, it is quite impossible 
 for field-pieces to be moved under these circumstances, nor, 
 indeed, would it be an easy matter to marshal cavalry, nor 
 could infantry make any great progress in marching. A 
 light cart, drawn by a stout horse, which had only to carry 
 two empty portmanteaus and a cask of beer, could not get 
 up to the front from Balaklava to-day — a distance of six- 
 and-a-half miles. This fact shows the necessity of making 
 new roads, as well as the imperfections of those which ab-eady 
 exist, or are believed to exist, till a heavy shower destroys 
 all traces of them, and metamorphoses them into something 
 like a sewer-com-se in the Thames at low water. The French 
 militarj' road, made for us by Vinoy's Brigade from Kadikoi, 
 past the Cavaby Camp up to the Col, is in tolerably good 
 order, and has been repaired by the Croats, Eupatorians. &c., 
 but it still requires to be enlarged and much improved before it 
 can meet the exigencies of our winter traffic. A large number 
 of soldiers, not less, I should think, than 1500 in all, has 
 been detached to make new roads and repair* old ones in 
 conjunction with the Ai-my Works Corps. A hitch occurs now 
 and then, which proves that army departments are not readily 
 managed by most people. For example, a strong party of the 
 Guards was marched down one day this week to work on the 
 roads, but when they came to the appointed place there were no 
 tools, no spades, shovels, pickaxes, or barrow^s, and so, after 
 waiting some hours, the men marched bade again. The rail- 
 way is the object of sedulous attention, and will, no doubt, be 
 .soon secured against the effects of winter, but it must not be 
 expected to do too much. There is a very considerable 
 accunmlation of stores at the depot by the Col ; there are also 
 large quantities of forage and of ibod stored up at some of the 
 divisional depots, and the commanding officers of a few regi- 
 ments have stacked the surplus wood, issued for rations of fuel,
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR WIXTER. 193 
 
 and have got up a tolerable good private stock for the winter, 
 to meet anjr deiiciencies in the rations during the cold weather. 
 During the dog-days the men had each about as much wood or 
 coal issued to them as they would get at Christmas. One or 
 two active Quartermasters-General of Division have laid or are 
 laying down roads from their divisional commissariat depot up 
 to the centre and front of their respective camps. In fact, there 
 is some energy exhibited in preparing for the winter, and, if the 
 huts only ari'ive in time, in the sailing ships in which they 
 have been stowed, no doubt winter will be disarmed of much of 
 its rigour and severity. Improved stoves are desirable — those 
 sent last winter were very expensive, inasmuch as they did not 
 last ; and it would be curious to inquire how many out of the 
 whole quantity supplied were put back into store when summer 
 came. Muchof the warm clothing, many sheepskin coats, boots, 
 &c. were irretrievably injured, and will not last long should they 
 be re-issued this winter. Indeed, there is a little confusion in 
 the store itself, and I know a case where some men of a certain 
 regiment were sent down to get their old coats, and, after a 
 great deal of confusion and of tumbling over bales of clothmg, 
 only one or two of them could be found. Captain Gordon, 
 however, is most active and energetic, and his indefatigable 
 efibrts to reduce this chaos into order begin to be attended' 
 with efl'ect. 
 
 It was on this day twelve months ago that the allied armies 
 marched from Old Fort, and that the Eussians drew first blood 
 at Boulganak. What an eventful year has since elapsed, and 
 liow fcAv have survived through all our suiferings and our 
 glories ! The old soldiers have disappeared ; in some regiments 
 there are not more than filteen men, in others there are not so 
 many, remaining out of those who moved in magnificent parade 
 to their first bivouac. Those whom the war has swallowed 
 up have not been replaced by better men. Would we could 
 say that they have been succeeded by as good. The Light 
 Division — those steady, noble soldiers of the Rifle Brigade ; the 
 gallant Fusiliers ; the 19th, the 23rd, the 33rd, the 77th, the 
 8Sth — the men who drew the teeth of that terrible Russian 
 battery on the bloody steeps of the Alma — how few of them 
 are left to think and wonder at the failure in the Redan ! The 
 Second Division, old companions of the Light in hard fighting 
 and in hard work, can scarcely boast that they are what they 
 once were. The Third Division, though singularly freed from 
 
 VOL. II.
 
 194 FIRST FRUITS OF VICTORY. 
 
 active participation in any of the great battles or sanguinary 
 struggles of the Avai- has been heavily smitten by sickness, and 
 has borne a large share of the exhausting and harassing duties 
 of the trenches and of the siege, and its old soldiers have been 
 used up, as those of the other corps. The Foui'th Division has 
 earned for itself a high reputation. In the fierce contest of 
 Inkernuinn it won imperishable laurels, which few of the 
 Avinners are left to wear. As to the Guards — those majestic 
 battalions, which sccm'ed the fluttering wings of victory on the 
 Alma, and with stubborn front withstood the sui'ge of Muscovite 
 infantry which rolled up the ravines of Inkermann — disease and 
 battle have done their work but too surely, notwithstanding the 
 respite from the trenches during our wintry spring-time, which 
 was allowed perforce to their rapidly vanisliing columns. Every 
 one feels assured that if the attack on the Redan had been 
 renewed the following morning, the Highlanders and the Third 
 Division must have succeeded, if supported properly by the 
 Guards and the Fourth Division ; and that assurance does not 
 throw the shadow of a shade on the brilliant reputation of the 
 Light Division and the Second Division, but simply rests on the 
 fact that, with the exception of the Guards (in which, however, 
 there is more careful recruiting tlian in other regiments), and of 
 some regiments of the Fourth Division, which were engaged at 
 Inkermann, these battalions have not undergone the hard work 
 and constant labours of the Light and Second Divisions, which 
 have, indeed, been "put to everything" since the beginning of 
 the war. One of the HigUand regiments was sicklj% and lost 
 many men in the winter, but the Brigade has had almost 
 nothing to do except guard the lines at Ealaklava since the 
 battle of the Alma ; and at that battle, owing to its position on 
 the left, and the judicious way in which Su* Colin Campbell 
 moved them up the side of the hill, their loss was very insigni- 
 ficant. The men would have been comparatively fresh; they 
 would have had no recollections of a previous repulse to damp 
 their ardour ; and — but let us discuss the subject no further. 
 At best it is but a discussion on probabilities, and no one can 
 forget that, on the eve of two unsuccessful assaults we were 
 equally sanguine of a favourable result for the morrow. 
 
 The march of the French cavalry and infantry from Baidar 
 to Kamiesch, where they will embark for Eupatoria, has been 
 retarded by the rain. It is reported that in their recent recon-
 
 MEDALS, CLASPS, RIBANDS. 195 
 
 Tiaissance, our allies ascertained that the positions of the Russians 
 at JVIangovip, Kaleh, and Aitodor were too strong to be forced. 
 
 THE FIRST ANNIVEKSAEY OF THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA. 
 
 September 20. 
 As many of the medals, clasps, and ribands as have been 
 issued to commanding officers were distributed to-day to the 
 various regiments, and on an average there were about ten 
 medals for each company: that, of course, excited dissatis- 
 faction. As to the riband, there is but one opinion, — that 
 it is unbecoming and mesquin to a degree. Men differ as 
 to the merits of the medal, but a large majority abuse it, 
 and the clasps are likened generally to the labels on public- 
 house wine bottles. The proceedings at the distribution were 
 tame and spiritless. A regiment was drawn up, with the 
 commanding officer in front ; beside him stood a sergeant with 
 a big bag. " John Smith" was called. " Here ;" " Step 
 forward," and up came John Smith to the Colonel, who dipped 
 his hand into the bag, took out a small parcel, and said, " John 
 Smith, you were at Alma, Balaklava, and Inkermann ?" " Yes." 
 Tlie Colonel handed liim the parcel, and John Smitli retired to 
 his place in the ranks, carrying the said packet in his hand, 
 which he opened at the " dismiss ;" and this was all, so far as I 
 could see, that was made out of a proceeding which could have 
 been rendered in the highest degree interesting and exciting to 
 the soldier. The Light Division, I believe, paraded and received 
 their medals and clasps from Lord W. Paulet en masse, with 
 some show of ceremony. Perhaps the John Smith alluded to 
 never saw a shot tired except at the distance of several miles. 
 He might have been on peaceful guard at Lord Eaglan's head- 
 quarters on the 5th of November ; yet he wears the clasp 
 for Inkermann. He might have been engaged in no more 
 sanguinary work than that of killing oxen and sheep for 
 the division in the commissariat slaughter-house, and yet he 
 will show oa his breast " Crimea" (of course), " Alma," " Bala- 
 klava," " Inkermann." Our Avretched system of bestowing 
 decorations on classes, and sowing them broadcast over a whole 
 army, deprives them of much of their real value. What can a 
 survivor of the Light Cavalry charge think of the clasp 
 ■" Balaklava" when he sees whole divisions of infantry soldiers 
 
 o2
 
 19G FIRST FRUITS OF VICTORY. 
 
 rearing the same on their breasts ? The subject is too larsjje to 
 enter upon at present, but it is much discussed and canvassed, 
 not bj"- those who receive tlieir decorations without deserving 
 them, but by the men who really were engaged in great battles 
 from which the chances of war kept others away. 
 
 This great anniversary was celebrated enthusiasticallythrough- 
 out the army. There were many "Alma dinners" in the regi- 
 ments, among both officers and men, and music and song kept 
 the camp awake till long after midnight. Many a memory of 
 the dead was revived, many an old wound re-opened, at these 
 festive meetings. 
 
 The French also had their banquets and festivities. They had 
 a grand ceremony early in the morning — a Missa Sole)inis for 
 the repose of the dead. Indeed, they have had some splendid 
 military spectacles lately, but one never hears of them in this 
 vast camp till his attention is aroused by the echoes of the 101 
 guns with which they are brought to a close. 
 
 General Pelissier has been made a IMarshal of France, and 
 has received from Her Majesty the Grand Cross of the 
 Bath. Of the latter order he seems exceedingly proud, and 
 he has on several occasions signed his name " Pelissier, G.C.B." 
 General Simpson has not as yet received any decoration or 
 honour from home, but the Emperor of the French has con- 
 ferred on him the rare distinction of the Grand Cross of the 
 Legion of Honom*. 
 
 The proceedings of the Eussians during the day were in- 
 scrutable. They were assuredly verj'' busy in removing, by 
 means of military waggons and store carts, quantities of pro- 
 visions and stores from the large magazine by the water's edge, 
 which is nearly opposite to Fort Nicliolas, and conveying them 
 over the ridge towards the Belbek. Yet, as if to demonstrate 
 that these movements arc by no means indicative of an intention 
 to leave, they are forming a prodigious depot to the north-east 
 of Scbastopol, in the direction of the Belbek, and not far from 
 a strong earthwork deserving the name of a redoubt or fort. 
 The piles of sacks and bags, stacked up in a j)yramidal form, 
 are plainly discernible with the naked eye, bat it has not j'et 
 been ascertained that the (;arts which are employed in removing 
 the stores from the north side unload at this new c?e/5w/. On 
 the contrar}', it seems as if carts from the interior came down 
 from Simpheropol, and deposited stores at this locality, which 
 must be somewhere in the nciQ-hbourhood of Kamischli. The
 
 RUSSIAN MOVEMENTS, 197 
 
 carts from the north side, which are now apparently occupied 
 in carrying awaji- provisions, keep along the road past the 
 citadel and along the top of the ridge near the sea, and when 
 they descend that ridge they are lost to sight, and do not 
 reappear. If they were going to the new depot they would 
 keep far more to our right, and take the road which is nearly 
 parallel to the northern side of the roadstead of Sehastopol. 
 These carts arc to he seen not only at the great storehouse 
 between Fort Catherme and Hollandia, hut at the citadel and 
 at Fort Constantine, and it would seem as if they came empty 
 and went away heavily laden. Their number is endless. They 
 are not creaking lumbering arabas drawn by oxen, but light 
 well-appointed military carriages, driven by soldiers, and ex- 
 cellentlj^ horsed, as is rendered quite apparent by the speed with 
 which they travel when a rocket or a bomb from the south side 
 is sent after them. The large magazine which the enemy seems 
 most solicitous to empty, consists of a very spacious pile, of 
 buildings of dark grey stone, with small windows, and is not un- 
 like a prison or penitentiar}'. The sides form a square, but we 
 cannot ascertain what the yard in the centre contains. There is a 
 quay before it, along which horses, carts, and men rush at full 
 speed whenever the French take it into their heads to amaoy them. 
 One gateway opens on the quay, and there is another on each 
 of the i-emaining sides of the quadrangle, ^\■ith the exception 
 of that on the north. The buildings are two stories high, and 
 are roofed Avith tiles, Avhich are already beginning to look much 
 tattered under the attentions of the French shells. Some dis- 
 tance behind the storehouse are prodigious quantities of coal, 
 piled to the height of a man or thereabouts, and intersected with 
 walks, or passages, through which we can see the soldiers going 
 to and fro. The coals are arranged sj-mmotrically in squares, 
 and at one corner there is either a large weighing machine or a 
 small crane. As yet the Eussians have not touched these 
 coals. Fm'ther away to the left the enemy have a small 
 arsenal or store containing cannon and shot, with possibly 
 in addition several thousand guns. Besides the main stream of 
 carts there are always many divergent currents and small strings 
 oi vehicles proceeding between various stations on the north side 
 and IMacIvenzie's Farm. Thej'' travel along ditferent paths 
 through the brushwood, all of which communicate with the 
 detached camps spread over the face of the slopes between 
 Inkermann and the Belbek. The Russian Donnybrook Fair
 
 198 FIRST FRUITS OF VICTORY. 
 
 has disappeared ; it liad been i^radually ineltiiig away since the- 
 8th and 9th of this month, and now all that is left of it is a 
 few tents and dismantled huts. On the hill-side near the 
 citadel they had estahlislied a sutlers' camp, like our own at 
 Kadikoi, hut much more extensive, and this fair used to 
 swarm with soldiers, officers, pedestrians, and cavaliers, — carts 
 and arabas, and women and drochskies, from dawn till evening. 
 The police of the place seemed to be excellent, and, as it was out 
 of the range of our shot and of anything but of some wonderfully 
 erratic rockets, the scene was gay enough. Possibly the burnt- 
 out shopkeepers of Scbastopol resorted to this spot and sought to 
 estahlisli a small commerce there. They certainly had custom 
 enougli ; if the payment was equally liberal and sure, they 
 could not complain much. Now our shells can almost reach 
 this spot, and our rockets from below the Malakhofi" (command 
 the fair from end to end, and so the Muscovs have abandoned 
 it, that is to say, aU excepting some hardy sutlers and a few 
 cantiniers have retired to some spot better suited to the tranquil 
 pursuits of commerce. 
 
 The French have established mortars at the western angle 
 of Fort Nicholas, whence they throw bombs at the magazines 
 and at the working parties and convoys. Our indefatigable 
 allies have also placed a rocket battery on the Karabelnaia, on 
 the slope of the Malakhoff, and these alarming but uncertain 
 missiles fly far over the magazines and burst near the roads 
 among the trains of carts, and kick up a dust in the graveyards. 
 They have also constructed a mortar battery behind the aque- 
 duct in the ravine at the back of the Malakhoff. 
 
 The rumours of a move are dying gi'adually away, and the 
 army has made up its mind to remain quietly in winter quarters. 
 The preposterous on (Lit is that the Generals have sent home for 
 instructions. To whom ? Can a campaign be played out, like 
 a game of chess, by electric telegraph ? 
 
 September 21. 
 
 This stillness, Avhich is almost startling after the mighty 
 tumults which have broken on our ears for a long j^ear, still 
 continues. Tliere is not a sound to break the silence in the 
 camps except the boom of an occasional gun from Fort Constan- 
 tine or the dull report of the French mortars. The fleet — what 
 good is it here, now that the Hussians have sunk and destroyed 
 their ships, and that the Admirals tacitly admit that they cannot 
 force a passage ? — the fleet has even given up practising, and
 
 RUSSIAN TACTICS. 199 
 
 the mortar-boats jjet steam up and let it off ag-ain, and that is 
 all. At daybreak this morninf^ I saw through the mist on the 
 Mackenzie ridji^e a numerous line of watchfires, and later in the 
 early lij^^ht a sti'ong column of the Russian infantry was visible 
 in bivouac to our right of the telegraph station and to the left 
 of the Spur Battery, near the Mackenzie road. Part of these 
 marched away agiiin in the course of the day. The rest re- 
 main in the same place and are busy hutting themselves, an 
 operation which they perform with great skill and alacrity. 
 They were encamped in a sort of chapparell, and they have 
 abeady cleared a good bit of it and converted the branches into 
 the sides and coverings of theu- huts. Their arms were piled 
 when they iirst arrived at the bivouac, but three hours later the 
 glistening barrels and bayonets had disappeared, having possibly 
 been placed in some dry and secm-e place. The recent heavy 
 rains will fill all the wells and swell the water-courses of this 
 disti'ict, and it will no longer be untenable by large bodies of 
 men. Having secured their right flanlc by the very formidable 
 earthworks and batteries which we are permitting the enemy 
 even now to erect, in addition to then- former defences and their 
 regular forts, the Russians will no doubt direct the bulk of their 
 army to protect theu- centre resting on the Tchernaya and 
 Mackenzie, and their left at Aitodor, and on the Upper Belbek 
 to Bakshiserai. They seem prepared to hold this extensive 
 line, and we appear at present by no means ready or willing to 
 attack it. As the allies can scarcely spare men enough to 
 send to Eupatoria, and thence to march on Simpheropol, or 
 to force the Russian position on the Belbek by a moving corps to 
 operate against them from the north, and as there is no 
 apparent intention of attacking them from Inkermann or the 
 Tchernaya, this dead lock may last longer than we think, and. 
 is likely enough not to be relaxed this winter. The quantity of 
 stores removed by the Russians from the north side to their new 
 depot shows that they are not in want of provisions, unless they 
 take the trouble to caiTy dummy sacks and fill their carts with 
 " make-believes." It may and must be difficult for them to 
 feed their army, but, somehow or other, they do so. They left 
 considerable quantities of food behind them Vl\ the city ; large 
 flocks and herds (many of which, however, may be araba oxen) 
 stud the plains near the citadel. The soldiers who fell into the 
 hands of the Sardinians and French on the 16th of August carried 
 abundance of bread and spirits, and we hear they had meat and
 
 £00 FIRST FRUITS OF A'ICTORY. 
 
 plenty of everything except water, when they came down to 
 attack the allies. It" matters come to the Avorst, the stoiiiaoh 
 of the ]\Iujik soldier is as well able to dii;;est araba ox beef 
 as the stomachs of the hungry Highlanders, who did not 
 despise that very muscular fibre one day after our landing at 
 Gallipoli; so that, altogether, I am not so very sanguine as 
 to think the liussians will be forced to abandt>n their ])osition 
 on the approach of winter. The country around tliem will supply 
 abundance of wood for fuel, and they are skilled in making- 
 comfortable and warm underground huts. The enemy, there- 
 fore, will be as well housed as the allies, supposing the latter 
 succeed in getting up huts before the winter sets in. " Leaving 
 them alone" will never drive a Kussian army out of the field; 
 the only thing to do that is the French and English bayonet, 
 and plenty of fighting. 
 
 About noon to-day a flag of truce came in from the fleet, and 
 •was met near Tort Constantine by a Russian boat. The con- 
 ference did not last very long, and its object has not yet tran- 
 spired. The French mortars and guns were not silent while 
 the flags were flying. Their mortar battery, which is protected 
 by the walls of Fort Xicholas, keeps up a constant fire of bombs 
 against the quadrangular storehouse. In addition to the fire which 
 their shells caused inside yesterday, the French sent two bombs 
 through the roof of the building to-da3% and they are rapidlj'' 
 defacing its external Avails. Their practice is very variable, 
 owing probably to the imperfect manufacture of theii* shells, 
 -which are frequently of unequal Aveight, and are consequently 
 of uncertain range. In the large shells there is sometimes 
 a variation of 31b. or 41b. in Aveight and some Avhich Avere 
 lent to us Avere found to be almost useless on that ac- 
 comit. Their battery behind the Malakhoff" is principally 
 du'ected against the roads near Fort Constantine and Fort 
 Catherine. Three or fom* times in the day Fort Constantine 
 gives a sullen reply to the allies, and the 12-gun battery at 
 Inkcrmann throws an odd shot at the Frencth battery of the 
 31alakhott'. The Eussians, however, look as if thej^ intended to 
 woi'k steadily at their eartluvorlvs, and some fine day, no doubt, 
 they Avill open Avith a roar of cannon in their old style, all along 
 the Avaterside from Fort Constantine to Inkermann. Large con- 
 voy's passed in and out of the Ibrts to-day, but Avith Avhat they 
 Avere laden could not be ascertained. Their coal deput is un- 
 touched and undiminished. It was amusinsr to Avatch the cool-
 
 COOLNESS OF THE RUSSIANS. 201 
 
 ness of the fellows at work inside the larjjje magazine to-day. 
 Some of them stood in the doorway by the waterside to look out 
 for the mortars. " Bom" ^^oes one, and the thick white smoke 
 ilies upwards in a circling pillar, marked here and there with 
 whirling rings. " T-M'it ! twit! twit!" the bomb whistles aloft, 
 the sound becoming fainter and fainter as it leaves us, till it 
 begins to grow on the ear of the gentleman in grey, who is ou 
 the watch at the other side ; he pops in his head, and at his sum- 
 mons, like rabbits scuttling from a ferret-haunted warren, a 
 swarm of his comrades appear just as the bomb, with a prodi- 
 gious crash, and knocking up a cloud of tiles, timber, stones, and 
 dirt, rushes through the roof, and bursts inside ; the fellows are 
 down on their faces in a moment, and the bits flyover them, and 
 strike the earth ftir inland, or dash the water of the harbour into 
 foam. Then the " Eooskies" get up, and return placidly to their 
 work inside till the next bomb comes dangerously near. If it 
 does not fall inside the building, or is not likely to slip down on 
 them through the roof, they never stir. When the French 
 discovered the column of men near the telegraph this morning 
 they opened upon it with romid shot, and I saw the earth 
 torn up close to the men, but the Russians never turned 
 round from their camp fires. They are assuredly a stolid 
 infantry, and, if thej' had elan and dash with their other unde- 
 niably good qualities as soldiers, they would not be second to 
 the warriors of any nation in the world; and here I may 
 observe that we might with much profit take a lesson li'om 
 our enemies in a matter which has a great influence on the mind 
 of the private soldier. No man likes to fall into the power of 
 his enemies, or would willingly leave his sepulture in their hands, 
 rude though he knows it must be when performed by his com- 
 rades. The Muscovite Generals cannot be accused of an}' great 
 regard for their killed and wounded, but they have certainly 
 much respect for the prejudices and feelings of then- soldiers. 
 We have over and over again been astonished at the wonderful 
 way in which the dead and wounded disappeared after the repulse 
 of a sortie in which there were probably 2U0 of the enemy put kors 
 de combat. Except the dead and Avounded left in om- trenches, 
 none were ever to be seen after such contests when day broke. 
 A soldier of the 68th (M'Geevor), who was taken prisoner in a 
 sortie some months ago, and who has since returned to his regi- 
 ment after a long and (to others) interesting march in Russia, 
 explains the mystery, such as it was. On the night alluded to
 
 202 FIRST FRUITS OF VICTORY. 
 
 it could not be ascertained -what the Russian loss was, but it was 
 certain that the fii'ing had been very heavy, and the work very 
 warm while it lasted. As this man was being carried to the 
 rear after a stout resistance, he observed that there were hun- 
 dreds of soldiers without weapons between the reserves and the 
 column of sortie, and that these men were employed exclusively 
 in removing the dead and wounded, who would otherwise have 
 been left in the hands of the British. The most extensive pro- 
 vision we make in such cases is sending one, or at most two, 
 litters to a regiment, except when the ambulances go out for a 
 pitched battle. Perhaps Ave do not calculate on leaving our 
 ground, but the best general is always prepared for retreat as 
 well as for victory, and if ever we should be placed in the same 
 circumstances as the Eussians have been, it wo\ild be advisable 
 to follow their example. 
 
 About one o'clock to-day the fleet began to perform a variety 
 of evolutions which were quite enough to craze any landsman 
 who might A\ash to unravel them. Some ships went one way, 
 some another; two or three steamers stai'ted oif straight for Eupa- 
 toria, others rushed at full speed for Kamiesch; the French floating 
 battery made a feint of going in to attack the forts, then stopped 
 short and blew ofl' steam. Sir Edmund Lyons weighed anchor and 
 made a great number of signals. Much smoke came out of the 
 funnels and steam out of the pipes; but after looking at the 
 vessels tmsting and twining and tm-ning and circUng for some 
 time, and finding myself becoming utterly bewildered, I ceased 
 to gaze seaward any longer. The affau" ended, I believe, by the 
 majority of the vessels sailing towards Cape Aiga. 
 
 It is no harm to state that om* ever-active allies the French 
 are constructing a breaching battery between Fort Nicholas and 
 the ruins of Fort Alexander. This is intended to act against Fort 
 Constantine, and will be placed in such a position that the enemy 
 can only avail themselves of three or fom* embrasures in reply. 
 The statement can do no injury, because the Russians see the 
 French at work on the battery, know its position, and for what it 
 is intended, and fire at the working paiiies from time to time- 
 Besides, the battery will be quite ready before this letter can 
 reach England. The Russians have placed an enormous quantity 
 of sand-bags and earth on the roof of Fort Constantine, and have 
 m.ade regular traverses and embrasures for the guns formerly 
 mounted there en harhette. Some of the boats of the fleet 
 crept in a night or two ago, got through the booms and marine
 
 TROOPS FOR EUPATORIA. 203 
 
 clievaux defi'ise, and came right round to the Dockyard Creek. 
 The Russians also steal about the harbour at night in their row- 
 boats and flats, a number of which are in the creeks and up the 
 bend of the Soukhaya. 
 
 Captain Chapman, of the 20th Eegiment, Avas buried to-day. 
 For some time past he had been acting as Assistant Engineer 
 under his distinguished relative, Colonel Chapman, R.E., and he 
 had not long retiirned from sick-leave at Therapia, when he was 
 called upon to take his share in the assault on the 8th, during 
 which he was wounded in the knee : of that wound the gallant 
 and lamented officer died yesterday. 
 
 Scptemhcr 22,10 a.m. 
 
 Tlie fleet, which sailed and steamed round towards Ealaklava 
 yesterday, is now returning. Several of the vessels, which appear 
 to be full of troops, are on their way towards Eupatoria, and 
 others are passing by Fort Constantine, which has directed some 
 shot and shell at the nearest. The 17th French Regiment is on 
 the march from Ivamiesch towards Inkermann. Two fires were 
 observed on the north side last night, and it is likely the Rias- 
 sians are consuming their old stores.
 
 204 COMFORTABLE QUAKTERS. 
 
 CHAPTER. XX. 
 
 COMFOETABLE QUARTEP.S. 
 
 JLinoeuvrcs of the fleet — Consultation between the naval and military 
 authorities at head-quarters — Strenartli and elliciency of tlie Turks at 
 Kujiatoria — French, Enp^Iisli, and Sardinian Cavalry — Keeessity for 
 immediate operations — Favourable prospects for an expedition — Im- 
 patience of tiic sailors for active employment — Their disappointment 
 iu not taking part in the final assault upon Sebastopol — Result of the 
 late cruise — Captain Sherard Osborne's hazardous feat — lio\v the 
 Russians obtain supplies — Ko sign of a Russian retreat — T!ie Anjjlo- 
 Freuch Commission — The spoils of war — Xumber of guns and small 
 arms — Principle pm-sued in dividing tlie spoils — General Windham's 
 stafl" — Is the North side to be invested ? — Important works in course of 
 erection — Balaklava strangely altered — Flour — Daily consumiition of 
 corn by the horses, mules, and ponies in tlie English army — The Duke 
 of Newcastle in the Crimea — Huts — Healthy condition of the English 
 troops — Jlilitary education — Lack of excitement — Cathcart's Hill and 
 its associations — The cemetery — Its memorials — Lieutenant Tyron's 
 grave-stone — General Goldie's tomb — Inscriptions — General Strang- 
 ways and Captain Edward Stanley's tombs — Sir George Cathcart's 
 monument — Lieutenant-Colonel Seymour's tomb-stone — Jlonument to 
 Sir John Campbell — Sir 11. Newman's sarcophagus — Deaths of Colonel 
 Gough and Lieutenant Kerr — Fimeral processions — Invalids. 
 
 BEroRE Sebastopol, Scpte7)-J)er 25. 
 The fleet wliich sailed towards Balaklava on Friday turned back 
 and passed by Sebastopol, and proceeded thence to Eupatoria on 
 Saturday, returned to Kamiescli on Sunday after an immense 
 consumption of coal and production of black smoke, and with 
 utter want of success so far as regards the supposed object of 
 their curious manoeuvres, which is stated to have been to attract 
 the attention of the enemy from their present position to meet 
 some imaginary demonstration in their rear. 
 
 Yesterday Sir Edmund Lyons and Admiral Stewart, with 
 several post-captains, attended at head-quarters, and it is under- 
 stood that thej', in connuon with the whole licet, are most 
 anxious "to do something" ere the season is too far advanced 
 for naval operations. At Eupatoria they found no less than 
 31,000 Turkish infantry in a fine state of discipline, and in per- 
 fect readiness for any military service. These soldiers were all 
 reviewed and inspected on the occasion, and officers of rank, 
 English and French, wore alike gratified by the disciplined
 
 THE SAILORS LONG FOR ACTION. 205 
 
 alertness and efficiency of these neglected and almost useless 
 infantry. It is difficult to imagine that these Tui-ks could not 
 aid us materially in driving the enemy from Sebastopol if 
 strengthened by an English division and two French divisions, 
 which could be easily spared from this army at present. More- 
 over, they might be aided by all our cavalry, which arc now in verj^ 
 excellent condition, and are, nevertheless, of no earthly service 
 at Kadikoi or Baidar. Between French, English, and Sardinians 
 ■we could send a force of at least 5500 sabres to the north side of 
 the Alma, which certainly would have nothing to fear from any 
 Eussian cavalry in the Crimea. Colonel McMurdo has collected 
 more than 10,000 horses and mules for the service of the Land 
 Transport Corps, and it would be very strange indeed if he could 
 not spare enough of them to supply and carry food for an expe- 
 ditionary column during a week or ten days, nor is there any 
 reason why he should not be able to aid the French intendance 
 in the field, should they requu-e our assistance. The allied 
 fleet could embai-k and land the whole force in forty-eight 
 hours, or, at all events, in sixty hours, at any points between 
 Balaklava or Kamiesch and Eupatoria. All our gallant 
 sailors, from the Admirals downwards, feel acutely the diffi- 
 culties and ingloriousness of the position in which they 
 have been placed. They had hoped, indeed, to co-operate 
 with the land forces in the attack on Sebastopol on the 
 8th of September ; but the violent wind and high sea which 
 sprang up early on the morning of that day did not allow 
 them to raise an anchor; indeed such a large fleet could not 
 have been set in motion in the bad w^eather that prevailed, 
 and directed against the narrow entrance o'' Sebastopol, without 
 the certainty of collision and the risk of fatal confusion. Orders 
 were given the night before to have steam up early and to 
 serve the dinners for the crews at eleven o'clock, and it was 
 fondly hoped the men Avould have been engaged soon after 
 noon. Thej" were destined, however, to be again spectators 
 of the struggle. In the recent short cruise to and from Eupa- 
 toria the fleet could not discern any traces of the Eussians 
 north of the Alma. They could not make out a convoy, or 
 even a single tent, all along the coast and the adjacent country, 
 which can be swept by the telescope for several miles inland. It 
 woidd seem, indeed, as if the Eussians did not use the Perekop 
 road to any great extent, or that their convoys made a detour 
 towards the east in order to avoid meeting with any flying
 
 206 COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 
 
 column from Eupatoria. Possibly tlicy send most of their sup- 
 plies down bj' the Tchongar road, and there is every reason to 
 believe that the Eussians have established another route between 
 Perekop and Tchongar for the purpose of advance or retreat. 
 I have heard that some time back Captain Sherard Osborne with 
 one man passed up the Straits of Genitchi in a punt, and pushed 
 along through the rushes in the pestilential salt marshes up to 
 Tchongar-bridge, which he observed minutely, and that he saw 
 enough to satisfj^ him that an immense proportion of the Rus- 
 sian supplies were conveyed into the Crimea by that route. 
 Perekop is quite safe from the sea side. The " Spitfire," sur- 
 vejdng vessel, Captain Spratt, made several attempts, but was 
 not able to get very near the land. It is believed that, to make 
 assurance doubly sure, the enemy take the road south between 
 the Staroe and Crasnoe lakes, instead of going between the sea- 
 coast and Staroe. The route becomes, however, a matter of 
 indiflerence if we are not to make any offensive movement, and, 
 although some people hug the hope that the Czar will not be 
 able to feed his army diu-ing the winter, the quantity of stores 
 piled up on the north side is, to my mind, a guarantee for 
 their disappointment. 
 
 There is no sign of any present intention on the part of the 
 enemy to abandon their position on the north side. The celerity 
 with which they throw up and finish the most formidable-look- 
 ing redoubts on the land and sea sides is astonishing. They are 
 admirable diggers, and I believe it was ]\Iarshal Turenne who 
 used to say that as many battles were won by the spade as by 
 the musket. The fii'e across the roads increases in frequency 
 and severity every day, and we have to record the loss of two 
 men in the Buffs and a few trifling casualties from the enemy's 
 guns, but the mortars of the I'rench must have caused serious 
 injury and impediment to the Russian workmen, and have greatly 
 damaged their magazines. 
 
 The Anglo-French Commission sits daily, and is busily em- 
 ployed apportioning the spoils of war found in the town. The 
 number of guns of all kinds captmed exceeds 4000 ; immense 
 quantities of small arms have been caiTled ofi' by the soldiers and 
 sold, but there are still piles of them remaining. As the Rus- 
 sians lost 18,000 men between the morning of the 5th and the 
 evening of the 8th of September, it is likelj^ that we captured at 
 least 18,000 stand of arms, not to mention tlie muskets in store, 
 «tc., which belonged to the men placed hors de combat during the
 
 THE GOVERNOR OF SEBASTOPOL, 207 
 
 pi-eccdinf!; part of the sie^e. The commission acts on the prin- 
 ciple of dividing' the spoils in proportion to the number of men 
 actually composing the strength of the respective annies in the 
 camps before Sebastopol. Their labours were interrupted the 
 other day by a Russian shell, which scarcely gave them time to 
 adjudicate on the proprietorship of its splinters, for it burst as 
 soon as it had fallen through the roof of the building in which 
 they were sitting. If the Russians are spiteful, they will open 
 iire some fine day on the town and make it too hot to hold us ; 
 indeed, the Buffs are to be withdrawn for the present, and the 
 strength of the French in the towri has been diminished, as a 
 useless display of force only attracted the fire of the enemy's 
 batteries. Brigadier-General Windham, our Governor of Sebas- 
 topol, is assisted by an active little staff. He has lost the ser- 
 vices of Captain Rowlands, 41st Regiment, one of the Town- 
 Majors of Sebastopol, who is appointed Brigade-Major to the 
 2nd Brigade of the Second Division. Captain Lewes, of the 3rd 
 Regiment, has succeeded as Aide-de-Camp to Brigadier-General 
 Windham, in lieu of that gallant young officer. Lieutenant 
 Swire, of the 17th Regiment, who was very severely wounded on 
 the morning of the 8th. The duties of the Governor are not 
 very onerous, and the population of his district is essentially 
 migratory and nomadic. Five hundred artillerymen were added 
 to the garrison of the town some days ago. Are we to attack 
 the north side or not ? If so, when do we begin ? We may 
 stay in our present position till the crack of doom and the Rus- 
 sians will remain in theirs, and the war may thus go on for half 
 a century. The great road from Kadikoi to the camp gets on 
 but slowly, but a really fine work is in course of execution. 
 Many men are employed in cutting a kind of canal for the 
 waters of the streamlet which runs through the flat, marshy 
 land close by the railway between Kadikoi and the top of the 
 harbour, and floods it after heavy rains. This work will 
 tend materially to increase the strength and efficiency of the 
 railway in winter, and will carry off the surface water which 
 turned the whole of this marsh into a lake in that inclement 
 season of the year. The Sardmians are at work on the railway 
 from the WoronzofF road to the main line at Kadikoi ; but our 
 engineers declare that by taking unnecessary pains in elaborating, 
 polishing, and finishing off trenches and cuttings they lose valu- 
 able time. The French have not yet done anything towards the 
 execution of the line laid down by Mr. Campbell from the Col de
 
 208 COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 
 
 Balaklava to Kamiescli. It is creditable to Mr. Beatty and 
 Mv. Campbell's skill tliat the engineers of the Army Works 
 Corps have not been able to devise a better line for their road 
 than that which these gentlemen laid down I'or the tramway, 
 and the new road is to rnn parallel with the tramway the whole 
 of its course. Balaklava has ceased to exist. There are only 
 some dozen of the original houses left scattered here and there 
 amid iron storehouses, mountainous piles of wood, heaps of coal, 
 of corn, of forage, of shot and shell, and of stores multitudinous. 
 The liarbour is trenched upon by new qxiays and landing-places, 
 and two long wooden jetties project far intp its waters at the 
 shallow head of the harbour, and render good service in taking 
 the jn-essure of the quays at the waterside. And yet, Avith all 
 this huge accumulation of stores, such a ravenous devouring 
 animal is an army that there are some fears that we shall run 
 short of fuel and of flour during the winter. It is astounding to 
 hear that not a sack of flour fit for our purposes can be found in 
 the East, and Sir (xeorge Maclean, the indefatigable Commissary- 
 General, has been obliged to telegraph to England for 4000 bags 
 of that necessary article. In a few days the issue of bread will 
 probably cease, and the soldiers will be obliged to go back to 
 biscuit till fresh supplies are forthcoming. At the present 
 moment t/ie quantity of cam issued daily for horses, mules, and 
 pordes in the English army is not less than 2SO,O0Olb. The 
 fine weather will enable us to clear the quays in Balaklava, and 
 to collect stores at our divisional depots, but steps must speedily 
 be taken to protect these stores from the efl'ects of rain and 
 storm. 
 
 There is a sad dearth of news, and very little stirring in the 
 British camp. The I)uke of Newcastle went to Eupatoria on 
 board one of the ships, and has just returned. His Grace intends 
 to leave the camp, and direct his steps homewards in a few days. 
 It is almost a pity that he cannot remain till the winter sets in, 
 or, at all events, return during the bad weather, for he has 
 had very little experience of the hardships of camp life, and he 
 may still believe that the sketches which were sent home to 
 England when om- army was pei'ishing in the trenches, or in 
 their miserable muddy tents, were surcharged with gloomy 
 colours. Notwithstanding the cessation of the most arduous 
 duties of the army, and the improvement, or rather the creation 
 of roads, the teachings of experience, and all the efforts of the 
 authorities, I believe there will be much hardship and sufTermg,
 
 HEALTHY STATE OF THE ARMY. 209 
 
 incidental, and inseparalile, perhaps, from the position of our 
 army during the winter, even if all the men are hutted. At 
 present not a twentieth part of the soldiers possess huts. It will 
 be hard work to make up lor lost time even should the huts 
 arrive soon, and our officers are taking an exceedingly wise step in 
 sending into Sebastopol for wood for building purposes, whilst 
 it is still to be had. An immense train of carts, waggons, &c., 
 W'Cnt down this morning to the city to get wood out of the 
 ruined and dilapidated houses. A very comfortable double tent 
 can be made for the winter, but single canvas affords but a feeble 
 protection against the blasts which sweep over these dreary 
 steppes, with the thermometer at 10 degrees. Many of the 
 officers are hutted, or have sunk semi-subterranean resi- 
 dences, and the camp is studded all over with the dingy roofs, 
 which at a distance look much like an aggregate of molehills. 
 The soldiers are exceedinglj- health}-, and we have escaped, thank 
 God, the diseases of the Crimean September in a wonderful 
 manner. In order to prevent ennui or listlessness after the 
 great excitement of so many months in the trenches, the Generals 
 of Division are taking pains to drill our veterans, and to renew 
 the long-forgotten pleasures of parades, field-days, and inspec- 
 tions. In all parts of the open ground about the camps the 
 visitor may see men with Crimean medals and Balaklava and 
 Inkermann clasps, practising goose step or going through exten- 
 sion movements, learning, in fact, the A B C of their military 
 education, though they have aU'eady seen a good deal of fighting 
 and soldiering. Still there must be periods when the most 
 inveterate of martinets gets tired, and now the soldier, having 
 nothing else to do, avails himself of the time and the money to 
 indulge in the delights of the canteens. Brigade and divisional 
 field-daj's fill up the week with parades and regimental inspec- 
 tions. Eoad-making occupies some leisure hours, but the officers 
 have very little to do, and find it difficult to kill time, riding about 
 ♦Sebastopol, visiting Balaklava, foraging at Kamiesch, or hunting 
 about for quail, which are occasionallj', after the north wind has 
 blown, found in swarms all over the steppe, and form most 
 grateful additions to the mess table. There is no excitement in 
 front: the Eussians remain immoveable in their j)Osition at 
 lilackenzie's Farm. The principal streets of Sebastopol have 
 lost the charm of novelty and possession. Even Cathcart's-hill 
 is deserted, except by the " look-out officer" for the day, or by a 
 few wandering strangers and visitors. 
 VOL. II. p
 
 210 COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 
 
 In times to come this Catlicart's-liill will be a chosen terminus 
 of Saxon pilgrimage. Whether the traveller beholds from its 
 hnmble parapet the fan- aspect of the Imperial city, guarded by 
 threefold mightier batteries than now, or sits upon the broken 
 wall to gaze upon the ruins of Sebastopol, he must, if lie has anj- 
 British blood in his veins, regai'd with emotion that little spot 
 which encloses all that was mortal of some of the noblest soldiei's 
 who ever sprang irom our warrior race. He will see the site of 
 those tedious trenches where the strong man waxed weak day 
 after day and the sanguine became hopeless, and where the 
 British soldier fought through a tei'rible winter with privation, 
 cold, frost, snow, and rain, more terrible and deadly than the fire 
 of the enemy. With the Eedan, the MalakhofF, the Quarries, 
 the Mamelon, Gordon's Attack, Chapman's Attack, under his 
 eyes, he will revive with the aspect of the places where they 
 stood the memories of this great struggle, and in his mind the 
 incidents of its history will be renewed. How many more of our 
 gallant officers this cemetery may hold it is impossible to say ; it 
 is too fuU already. It is a parallelogram of about forty yards 
 long by thirty broad, formed by the base of a ruined wall, which 
 inight in former days have marked the lines of a Tartar fort, or 
 have been the first Russian redoubt to watch over the infancy of 
 Sebastopol. Although many a humble tumulus indicates to the 
 eye of affection the place where some beloved comrade rests till 
 the last reveil, the care and love of friends here and at home 
 have left memorials in solid stone of most of those whose remains 
 are resting in this spot. The fu-st grave towards the fi-ont and 
 west of the Cemetery consists of a simple mound of earth. I 
 know not whose remains lie below. The second is marked by a 
 simple slab, with the following inscription : — " Sacred to the 
 memory of Lieutenant H. Trj'on, Rifle Brigade, killed in action 
 on the 20th of November, 1854." He was a thorough soldier, 
 brave, cool, and resolute, and in the teri'ible crisis of lukermann 
 he used a rifle with more deadly certainty and success than any 
 of liis men. In the struggle for the " Ovens" or " Quarries," 
 on the 20th of November, in which a small body of the Rifle 
 Brigade dislodged a force of the enemy much greater than their 
 own, he displayed such gallantry that General Canrobert x)aid 
 him the rare honour of a special mention in the next " General 
 Order of the Day" for the French army. Next to his repose 
 the remains of a lamented officer. The stone records his name, 
 " Sacred to the memory of Brigadier-General Thomas Leigh
 
 MEMORIALS OF THE BRAVE. 211 
 
 Goldie, commanding the first Brigade of the 4th Division of the 
 British army, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 57th Eegiment, who fell 
 at Inkermann, November 5, 1854." No. 4 is a rude cros.s of 
 stone, without mark or name. The 5th grave is distinguished 
 by a stone cross at the feet, and at the head is a slab with an 
 ornamented top, beneath which is written, " Sacred to the memory 
 of Brigadier-General Fox Strangways, killed in action November 
 5, 1854." A few lines in Russian ask the Christian forbearance 
 of our enemies upon our departure for the bones of one whom 
 they would have admired and loved had they known him. No. 6 
 is conspicuous by a large tombstone, with an ornamental cross 
 at the top, and some simple efforts of the chisel at the sides 
 and base. Come and read ! " Here lieth the mo'"' u remains 
 of Captain Edward Stanley, 57th Eegiment, killed at the battle 
 of Inkermann, November 5, 1854, to whose memory this stone 
 is erected by the men of his company — ' Cast down but not 
 destroyed,' 2 Corinthians, iv. 9." Who does not look with 
 respect on the tombs of these poor soldiers, and who does not 
 feel envy for the lot of men so honom-ed ? There are fourteen 
 other graves in the same row, of which only one is identified. 
 
 Sir George Cathcart's resting-place is marked by a very fine 
 monument, for which his widow has expressed her thanks to 
 those who raised it to the memory of their beloved commander. 
 There is an inscription upon it commemorating the General's 
 services, and the fact that he served with the Russian armies in 
 one of their most memorable campaigns — the date of his un- 
 timely and glorious death, and an inscription in the Russian 
 language stating who and what he was who reposes beneath. 
 In the second row to the east there are two graves, without any 
 inscription on the stones, the third is marked by a very hand- 
 some circular pillar of hewn stone, surmounted by a cross, and 
 placed upon two horizontal slabs. On the pillar below the cross 
 in front is this inscription — " To Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Sey- 
 mour, Scots Fusilier Guards, killed in action, November 5, 1854;" 
 beneath these words are a cross sculptured in the stone and 
 the letters "I. H. S.;" and a Russian inscription on the back, 
 requesting that the tomb may be saved fi-om desecration. 
 At the foot of the tomb there is an elaborately carved stone 
 lozenge surmounting a slab, and on the lozenge is engraved 
 the crest of the deceased, with some heraldic bird springing from, 
 the base of a coronet, with the legend " Foy pour devoir, C.F.S. 
 Mt. 30." How many an absent friend would have mourned 
 p2
 
 212 COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 
 
 around this tomb ! Close at hand is a handsome monument to 
 Sir John Campbell, than Avhom no soldier was ever more re- 
 gretted or more beloved by those serving under him ; and 
 not far apart in another row is a magnificent sarcophagus in 
 black Devonshire marble, to the memory of Sir R. Kewman, of 
 the Grenadier Guards, who also fell at Inker mann. With all 
 these memorials of death behind us, the front wall at Cathcart's- 
 hill has ever been a favourite spot for gossips and spectators, 
 and saj'ers of jokes, and raconteurs of botis mots, or such, jettx 
 d'esprit as find favour in military circles. It has now lost the 
 attraction of position and retains only its graver, more melan- 
 choly, and more natural interest. I regret to add, that every 
 day adds t^"" the list of those who have died of their wounds. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Gough, of the 33rd, a gallant soldier, who 
 was wounded at the Alma through the chest, and who came out 
 here in bad health, expired of the severe wounds he received on 
 the 8th ; and Lieutenant Kerr, of the 30th, has also succumbed. 
 The funeral processions, the strains of the Dead March, remind 
 us that war has not ceased, and that it is not long since we 
 were engaged in a terrible struggle with an unflinching and 
 desperate enemy. Many of the wounded are, I grieve to say, 
 in a very precarious state, but as there are most extraordinary 
 cases, where the surgeons utterly despaired, stiU going on 
 favourably, let no one banish hope who has a friend or relative 
 to care for. Sometimes, but rarely, a slight wound tm'us out 
 fatal, and the most dangerous wounds heal ; and even the most 
 extensive injuries are not always deadly. It is certain that 
 Lieutenant- General Markham is going home ; his health is 
 much impaired, and he feels no longer equal to the duties of a 
 divisional general. The great rapidity with which he hastened 
 from India to the Crimea laid the seeds of disease and suffering 
 which the anxieties of command out here have developed, and 
 he leaves a stage on which it was expected he would have been 
 no second-rate or inconsiderable actor, amid the regrets of the 
 army. It is probable that Major-General Garrett, fonnerly of 
 the 46th Regiment, will succeed him in the command of the 
 Second Division, and that Brigadier- General Windham will not 
 remain in command of the English portion of Sebastopol. 
 
 September 24. 
 If there is any Intention on the part of the Commanders- 
 in-Chief to make any use of the short autumnal season, or second
 
 RUMOURS OF PEACE. 213 
 
 summer, or whatever else the few weeks of fine weather which 
 precede the Crimean winter may be called, it is so close a 
 secret that its execution will cause lively dissatisfaction and 
 great discomfort, especially among the "hutters" and "the 
 great hutting interest." Men have made up their minds 
 not only to rest, but to peace, and a real bon mot of the Duke 
 of Newcastle, to the ejfect that there will be peace before 
 Christmas, is in every one's mouth. There are rumours in 
 camp to the efiect that a short and simple letter from head- 
 quarters in Downing- street, vid electric telegraph, contained 
 instructions to spare the docks of Sebastopol, and to leave the 
 public buildings untouched. The cannon-ball and shell have 
 flown faster than the lightning, and these stately objects of 
 solicitude are all in ruins. 
 
 7 P.M. 
 
 The old sounds of the siege are renewed. There is a gun 
 every minute from the north side or from the south, and fair 
 promise that the duel will last for months to come at the present 
 rate of exchange. 
 
 7'30. 
 
 The heavy beat of the guns has died away, the bugles have 
 sounded, and the whole camp is still. In the briglit moonlight 
 the rows of white tents shine clearl}' and taper away in long 
 perspective to such a distance that they seem to form a screen 
 of snowy canvas, which is illuminated by countless lights. 
 The French bands are playing in their remote encampments, 
 find there is a strange jargon of English and French music, and 
 through it all the sad strains of Handel's Saul are floating, as 
 the soldiers bear some deceased officer to his long home ; then 
 sounds of carousing and drinking choruses are heard ; the guns 
 wake up once more, and their heavy voices silence every other 
 noise. Stillness returns again, and so we pass the night until 
 sleep has closed every eye except those of the wakeful sentries 
 on our frontier of defence. 
 
 The Eussian telegraphic lights are very active on the heights 
 over Inkermann, and have never ceased flitting in and out all 
 over the dark ridge between us and the Belbek for the last 
 three houi-s.
 
 214 OPPOBTUNITIES NEGLECTED. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 0PP0ETITNITIE3 NEGLECTED. 
 
 Strength of the Russian position on the North side — Apathy of the allied 
 generals — On the fall of Sebastopol the Russians prepared for a general 
 retreat — Our inaction their opportunity — Fort Constantine — Fortifica- 
 tions on the North side — Sad effects of our negligence — Destruction 
 of the trenches — Mistakes — Sick officers — Urgent private affairs — 
 Affair at Kertch, in which the 10th Hussars were engaged — Rumour of 
 a conflict between the French and Russian Cavalry at Eupatoria — 
 Plunder — Delicacies — Some of the Land Transport Corps fall into an 
 ambuscade — A good skull — Positions of the armies — General Pelissier 
 resigned to inactivity. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, September 29. 
 
 The contrast between the actual proceedings of tlie aUied 
 armies since the 9th of this month and the fevered dreams in 
 which the public at home, as represented by the press, are in- 
 dulging, is as striking as it is painful. The Russians, so far 
 from ilj'ing in discomfort over boundless wastes, are calmly 
 strengthening their position on the north side. The face of the 
 country bristles with their cannon and their batteries. As I 
 wi'ite the roar of their guns is sounding through our camp, and 
 occasionally equals the noise of the old cannonades, which we 
 fondly hoped had died into silence for ever. There is no sign, 
 of any intention on their part to abandon a position on which 
 they have lavished so much care and labour. They retired from 
 the south side when it became untenable ; it was shaken to 
 pieces by a bombardment which it is impracticable for us to 
 renew. They have now between themselves and us a deep 
 arm of the sea, a river, and the sides of a plateau as steep as 
 a wall. We permitted them to get off at their leisure, and 
 looked on, much as we should have gazed on the mimic repre- 
 sentation of such a scene at Astley's, while the Russian bat- 
 talions filed over the narrow bridge, emerging in unbroken 
 order out of that frightful sea of raging fire and smoke, which 
 was tossed up into billows of flame by the frequent explosion of 
 great fortresses and magazines. At what moment our generals 
 woke up and knew what Avas going on I cannot tell, but it is 
 certain they did not, as a bod}', distress themselves by any 
 violent efforts to get a near view of the enemy's movements 
 earli/ in the morning. It was late in the day when Fort Paul
 
 EXPLOSIONS, 215 
 
 blew up. At about 5.30, as well as I can now recollect, tliat 
 magnificent work was shaken violently, heaved upwards, seemed 
 to tiy into pieces — the breaking masonry and embrasures emitting 
 sheets of white smoke, lighted up by fire — and then collapsed, 
 as it were, into ruins. The mine missed in the first instance ; 
 but, so cool were the enemy, so perfectly satisfied of our inaction 
 were they, and so convinced they had awed us by their tre- 
 mendous energy in destruction, that they sent a boat across with 
 a few men in her, about half-past four o'clock in the evening, 
 and they landed quietly and went into the fort, and were seen by 
 several people in the act of entering, in order to prepare for the 
 explosion which followed immediately after they had retired. 
 Spies have, however, informed the authorities in the most positive 
 manner that the Ilussians were prepared to retreat, and had all 
 in readiness to cover a retrograde movement, in case the fleet 
 succeeded in forcing a passage, and the allies evinced a determi- 
 nation of throwing theii* whole force against the north side. 
 Their field guns and guns of position were all in readiness, and 
 were strengthened by a very large corps of cavalry, which would 
 hold our infantry in check, and om' cavalry could not, of course, 
 get over the water in less than several days, nor could it gain 
 the heights of Mackenzie unless the infantiy had previously 
 established themselves there. Everything was foreseen and 
 provided for, and the Russians were in hopes that they might 
 catch us at a disadvantage amid some of tbeir fortified positions 
 in a diflicult country, and retrieve theii- past disasters, or, at all 
 events, make a masterly retreat. But when they saw that all 
 was hesitation, if not confusion, in the army of the allies, they 
 recovered their courage, stared the situation in the face for one 
 moment, and the next were busily employed in making the best 
 of it ; the consequence is that they have now erected such 
 batteries as to shut up the harbour to our present navy, and to 
 render any attempt to cross it as rash as it would be undesu-able. 
 Yesterday i^hey finished, a new line of batteries, to-day ^ve begin 
 to make some in reply. The papers which arrived yesterday 
 must be amusing to the authorities, for by their want of energy 
 they have assuredly falsified all those absurd anticipations of 
 further victory, of utter routs, of vigorous pursuit, and of 
 energetic action in which these mere writers and readers — men 
 who have read TJmcydides till they are stupefied, and have 
 muddled their brains poring over histories of wars and lives of 
 'Generals, and who have musty traditions about your Caesars,
 
 216 OPPORTUNITIES NEGLECTED. 
 
 Akxaiidors, Buonapartes, and Wellingtons, involving disagree- 
 able inferences and compai-isons — have ridiculously and un- 
 justifiably indulged. But could we have moved had our Generals 
 been so minded ? Is it true that as steam has impeded the 
 action of our fleet, the Land Transport Corps has stopped the 
 march of our armj' ? I am assured that Colonel M']\Iurdo will 
 not permit any such assertion to be made. With the aid of a 
 few men the army would have been ready to take the field and 
 to carry provisions and ammunition for om* available strength of 
 bayonets detached on a short expedition. As to the French, 
 they have certified theii- mobility by the rapid demonstration of 
 four divisions on Baidar. Then, why did not the English 
 move ? Orders and counter-orders were sent daj' after day — 
 requisitions on Captain This to know how many mules he had 
 to carry ball cartridge, orders to Captain That to turn out his 
 battery for the purpose of taking the field at daj'break next 
 morning ; counter-orders in the evening re-countered jmd re- 
 tracted at night, till it was hard to say what was to be done ; 
 and if the men Avho gave the commands were in half as confused 
 a state of mind as those who received them, they were indeed in 
 a pitiable plight. Cato with his Plato could not have been at 
 all puzzled like unto them. We did not move, and people say 
 it is because we had not the means to transport the Land 
 Transport Corps ; but that I don't believe was the reason of our 
 immobility. AVliat that reason was it is not for me to pretend to 
 say. It is quite evident that the expectations of the people at home 
 have not been gratified to the full extent, and that we are not in 
 undisputed possession of maritime Sebastopol, that the Russians 
 are not utterly defeated, and that the campaign will have to be 
 renewed next year by doing what might have been done three 
 weeks ago. How many men will Russia have in the Crimea 
 ere the season for the renewal of military operations retm'us, 
 should she be determined to hold it, and be able to continue the 
 war ? On the north side there are few houses, but there are 
 very lai-ge magazines. First, on the western extremity of the 
 northern shore stands Fort Constantine. The roof is covered in 
 to a great depth with sandbags, and there are large gims 
 mounted on it en harhette, but many of the embrasures are 
 empty, and do not show guns. A very heavy parapet with 
 traverses — in fact, a line of batteries — strikes out from the north 
 side of the fort, and crests the seaward face of the clitf, com- 
 municating with the Wasp Fort, Star- Fort, and the works of the
 
 RUSSIAN POSITION. 217 
 
 sea defences towards the mouth of the Belbek. Next to Con- 
 stantine, on the harbour, there is a large earthwork, with heavy 
 guns, behind whicli is the citadel, and this has recently been 
 much strengthened, and occupies a commanding position on a 
 hillside. Next come more earthworks, a lai'ge stone storehouse, 
 and the casemated Avails of Fort Catherine, with two tiers of 
 guns ; then more earthworks, till the line of defence merges 
 into the works at Inkermann. In fact. Fort Constantine, 
 Sievernaia, Fort Michael, and Fort Catherine, with their con- 
 necting works, and the citadel and forts in their rear, form one 
 great battery, too far to injure us seriously behind Sebastopol, 
 but quite able to withstand any infantry attack from the south 
 side. The difficulty of the north side was foreseen all along — 
 foreseen, but not provided for. In fact, there was no step 
 taken to insure the possession of the fruits of our labour. We 
 did not prepare for success, and Ave now have to brave a new 
 campaign, and the Russians have seven or eight months in 
 which they may strengthen themselves, recruit their exhausted 
 army, gather new materiel, and dispute our progress with fresh 
 slaughter, Avhich leaves us victory but half enjoyed. 
 
 The British army is busily engaged roadmaking, hutbuilding, 
 and drilling. Large parties go down every day to Sebastopol 
 and return with timber, doors, window-frames, joists, slabs of 
 marble and stonework, grates, glass, locks, iron, Stourbridge 
 fu'ebricks, of which a large quantity was found, and various other 
 articles of common use in camp, and the huts which arise on 
 every side are models of ingenuity in the adaptation of Russian 
 property to British and French uses. As yet, however, the vast 
 majority of the soldiers are under canvas, and are likely to be so 
 for a couple of months longer. The trenches — those monuments 
 of patient suffering, of endurance, of courage — will soon be no 
 more. The guns are withdrawn ; indeed, they are now nearly 
 all gone. The gabions are going fast, for the men have re- 
 ceived permission to use them for fuel — the earthworks Avill 
 speedily disappear, and next spring few traces will be left of 
 the existence of these memorable Avorks. It is melancholy, 
 amid all these sounds of rejoicing and victory, to think that an 
 army has been all but lost and swallowed up in these narroAV 
 dykes, and that it Avas " done by mistake." Our engineers 
 dreAV their lines, and to them they adhered, although the Rus- 
 sians showed theiu their error every day. After all, Avhen our 
 attack Avas made, the men had to run over the open space for
 
 218 OPPORTUNITIES NEGLECTED. 
 
 upwards of 200 yards. Let any one try to run such a distance 
 over broken ground with a rifle and 50 rounds of ball cartridge, 
 and see whether he will be in a good condition for hard fighting 
 at the end of it. The French had just 10 metres to run across. 
 They had more men at work, and easier ground for their opera- 
 tions between the JMamelon and Malakhoff", but the question is, 
 ought oiu- men to have been called on for such a death run at all ? 
 
 The firing into the town is occasionally very heavy, and it is 
 returned with spirit by the French mortars, and by a few guns 
 in position. The roads advance slowly, but are solidly and well 
 made as far as they go, and the railway is assuming an appear- 
 ance of solidity and permanence wliich gives satisfactory assu- 
 rances of its eftlciency for the muter. 
 
 The number of sick officers anxious to retui-n home is 
 not on the decrease. Many of those whose names appear in 
 general orders were, however, suflerers in the attack of the 8th 
 of September. The propoiiion of men invalided on account of 
 iU-health is about equal to the number of officers. Poor fellows, 
 they, however, have no " private urgent affairs" to attend to, 
 and that is the cause assigned for many leaves of absence. It 
 is curious and interestmg to observe how rank and social posi- 
 tion hr'nig with them special cares of business and the laboui'S 
 of afiairs from which the lowlier classes are exempted. Thus, 
 the officers of the Guards are harassed to death by " urgent pri- 
 vate affairs," which can no how be settled anywhere but in 
 lingland, and which will require their presence in that land of 
 busuiess from this time till just the week after Christmas before 
 there is the smallest chance of their satisfactory adjustment. 
 How the gallant fellows can manage to stay in the army and 
 attend to their regimental duties with such delicate negotiations 
 to conduct, such stupendous arithmetical investigations to make, 
 such a coil of accomits to examine, such interviews to go through, 
 such a constant pressure of affau-s to sustain, is inconceivable ! 
 Sometimes no less than three of them succumb on the same day, 
 and appear in orders as victims to these cruel urgencies. There 
 are some people in camp who maintain that the killing of grouse, 
 partridges, pheasants, and salmon, is a necessary condition of 
 existence, and that when these are combined with the pleasures 
 of society, with a light course of opera, and the claims of the 
 family, they constitute an urgent private affair quite strong 
 enough to draw any man from the Crimea. No one blames 
 these officers for feeling so strongly that they are citizens. We
 
 AFFAIR AT KERTCH. 219 
 
 should all like to get home if it were consistent with our duty, 
 but some of our officers think they have nothing to do when 
 once the fighting is over. 
 
 I have not seen any version of the little affair at Kertch in 
 which the 10th Hussars were engaged, but I have heard many 
 vai'ious reports and statements on the subject, and it is said the 
 despatch containing the particulars was lost between Balaklava 
 and head-quarters. It is reported that a small force of the 10th 
 went out to patrol the countiy towards Arabat, and that when 
 marching in loose order they wore suddenly attacked by a strong 
 party of Cossack cavalry, who succeeded ia killing two, wound- 
 ing thi'ee or four, and taking 15 men prisoners. The rest of 
 the Hussars cut their way through the enemy, having, it is said, 
 left 40 of them dead on the field. Possibly, this version is as 
 unlike the truth as can be, but I tell the tale as it was told to 
 me. There are very few means of commrmicating with Kertch 
 or Yenikale, and the many delays and mistakes made on board 
 the fleet with respect to the Sea of Azoff maUbags render those 
 means still less satisfactory. What the garrison will do in the 
 Aviater it is only for generals and admirals to determine. In 
 addition to this rumour from Kertch, there is a vague story 
 going about that the French cavalry at Eupatoria, bemg out on 
 dutj', lost their way in a fog and wandered about till they came 
 abruptly upon the Russian troops established in their neighbour- 
 hood as a corps of observation. The sudden appearance of the 
 French caused such a fright among the Muscovites that they 
 bolted off at once, leaving their stores and quantities of provi- 
 sions behind, which were destroyed by the French, who there- 
 upon returned on their way rejoicing. General Eose, our excel- 
 lent Commissioner to the French army, has been out at Baidar 
 and towards Aitodor with the French reconnaissances, and the 
 opinion formed after a careful examination of the passes is, that 
 it would be imprudent to attempt to force them at present. 
 Killiecrankie is a bowling-green compared to those high bluffs 
 and tremendous ravines. The outposts are on tolerably good 
 terms with each other, but now and then resume offensive opera- 
 tions and fire at each other with acrimony. The Russians still 
 occupy Aitodor and forbid the right of fishing in the Tchouliou, 
 which is a most tempting little trout stream. The Tartars, in spite 
 of the Cossacks, occasionally manage to bring in grapes and fine 
 fruit from the interior. Perhaps these gentry serve as spies for 
 both parties. The villas on the seacoast below Baidar have now
 
 220 OPPORTUNITIES NEGLECTED. 
 
 been tolerably well plundered and emptied of their contents. We 
 have had a trifling share of the loot, but our Hussar outposts got 
 some little mementos of their agreeable sojourn in those pleasant 
 valleys, and one officer at least, who was detached for the special 
 purpose of s\iperintending the men and of preventing plunder- 
 ing, has obtained possession of a very fine China set since he was 
 seen in the direction of Baidar, which did not form part of his 
 original marching outfit. However, our allies in this respect, 
 as in many otliers, have the advantage of us. They even find it 
 worth Avhile to come over to the slaughter-grounds of our divi- 
 sions in order to gather the heads, hearts, livers, lights, and 
 tails, which our men often throw away or bury as offal ; and 
 although they will not allow the English soldiers to go into 
 their part of the town without passes, they do not scruple to 
 avail themselves of the free permission which is given to all to 
 enter the English portion of the town, and they may be seen 
 very busity engaged, ransacking the piles of old clothing, &c., 
 in the magazines, in the hope of extracting something as a 
 " curio" wherewith to tempt the British amateur. The other 
 day some of our Land Transport men were sent with mules to 
 get some wood beyond Miskomia. Ten or twelve Greek volun- 
 teers, or militiamen, made an ambuscade in a wood close by, and 
 fired a volley at the muleteers, which emptied two saddles and 
 killed two mules. One of the drivers was hit on the head, but 
 he was a native of Tippcrary, and the ball hopped off' his skull. 
 He is now quite well. The other was only slightly wounded. 
 The French have secured all the passes thoroughly, and Baidar 
 Valley is as safe as Regent-street — indeed, safer to a simple- 
 minded and unwary visitor. 
 
 The position of the armies, with the exception of the move- 
 ment of the troops towards Baidar, of which you will hear 
 accounts from another hand, remains unchanged in its larger 
 features. Even Pelissier seems inclined to rest upon his baton 
 for the time. His gaze is fixed, no doubt, upon the Mackenzie 
 plateau, but his courage fails him ; nor does he care to repeat 
 his little proverb, which was in his mouth when slaughter and 
 bloodshed were spoken of in his presence in reference to our 
 grand assaults — " On ne peut pas faire des omelettes sans casser 
 des ceufs." The Marshal appears to have given up the manu- 
 facture of omelettes for the present ; he has plenty of eggs if he 
 likes to break them. 
 
 There is very little matter of interest to record in one's diary.
 
 DISBANDED CORPS. 221 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Departure 'of the Duke of Newcastle — The Mounted Staff Corps and the 
 Ambulance Corps disbanded — Attention to the wants of the sick and 
 wounded soldiers — Not only comforts but even luxuries supplied — 
 Ttoom for improvement — Sir George Brown's speecli — Services of the 
 Naval Brigade — Injustice of the authorities towards this brancli of tlie 
 service — Irregular promotion — Movements in the port of Balaklava — 
 A Slid accident — Humours. 
 
 Wednesday. 
 
 The Duke of Newcastle left the fleet this morning on board Her 
 Majesty's ship Highflyer, Captain Moore, in order to visit 
 Circassia, and possibly to look at Kertch and the Eastern 
 littoral of the Black Sea. He is accompanied or followed by 
 Mr. Simpson, the artist, who has been so long engaged out here 
 recording with his pencil the principal scenes of the war. His 
 Grace has examined into many things connected with the army 
 with a good deal of care, and he had an opportunity (of which 
 he did not avail himself) of paying the last tribute of respect 
 and affection to one of his own most favoured bantlings — to 
 wit, " the mounted Staff" Corps," which has just expired of in- 
 anition and atrophy. " The Ambulance Corps" has also ceased 
 to exist as a separate body, but it is hard to decide who has the 
 control over its atoms. Major Grant, of the former corps, is 
 still out here, but his officers are preparing for other duties ; 
 and of the men who are willing to remain, the majority, if not 
 the whole, will be employed as mounted mail guards, under the 
 control of the army post-office authorities. Major Grant, of the 
 Ambulance Corps, went to England long ago, and Captain Pig- 
 gott only remains behind till the disjecta memhra of pensioners, 
 carts, and horses are handed over to Colonel M'Murdo or some 
 other proper officer. Thus two " corps " have perished during 
 the Duke's visit. The men of the mounted Staff" Corps, who 
 performed a good deal of severe work during the winter, have 
 all along been viewed with jealousy and dislike, on account of 
 the ridiculously high rate of their pay, which was equal to that 
 of an ensign in the Line. Latterly their duty was almost ex- 
 clusively confined to the care and carriage of the mails and of 
 despatch bags, and, indeed, their diminished numbers did not 
 render them available for any further service. The men of the 
 Ambulance Corps were judiciously selected from old pen-
 
 222 OPPORTUNITIES NEGLECTED, 
 
 sioners, principally, it is to be supposed, on account of the 
 notorious sobriety of the class, and because of their presumed 
 softheartedness and tenderness. They drank hard, and were by 
 no means inclined to spoil those under their charge by over- 
 indulgence. There were, of course, many exceptions in this 
 respect, and the officers devoted themselves to their duty with 
 all their ability and energy, but the corps was radically vicious 
 in fonnation, and its defects could not be cured, and so by degrees 
 it perished. Of course the Duke of Newcastle's presence had 
 no more to do with the fate of these bodies than it had with the 
 conduct and events of the war, but it is odd enough that the 
 two, which were most lauded at the time of their creation, and 
 at whose birth his Grace presided with parental solicitude, 
 should have come to an end, within the space of a few months, 
 under his very eyes. The service of the ambulance has been 
 lately performed by soldiers detached from the army for that 
 pm-pose, and officers of the Line are employed in command at a 
 time when they can be very ill spared from their regiments. 
 As to the charges of the alleged hai'shness of some of the old 
 ambulance men to those sent in their charge to Scutari, &c., it 
 may have had the eiFect of calling attention to the abuses in 
 the department. At all events, it served as a foil to the allega- 
 tions that the men were as comfortable as they could be on all 
 occasions. The stream has now set the other way, and the 
 authorities vie with one another in providing every accommo- 
 dation, and even luxury, for the sick and womided soldier. Dr. 
 Hall has at various periods received reqiiisitions for such articles 
 as '■ Eose water !" " Eau de Cologne ! " "Champagne!" Dif- 
 ferent times these from what the anny had last year, when 
 Sir George Brown, like some great bull ofBasan, went bellowing 
 over the camps of the affrighted Light Division, seeking for 
 " medical comforts" that he might devour them with his wrath, 
 and goring and butting Dr. Alexander and Dr. Tice severelj', 
 because they would not reduce their store of medicines to that 
 blessed old Peninsulai* allowance of which Sir George had only 
 the dim recollections of a subaltern, although, with many strange 
 oaths and ancient instances, he affirmed them to be the per- 
 fection of pharmaceutical wisdom. And even now things might 
 be mended — I say so with all submission and deference. 
 Perhaps the public, " the confounded public," as they are some- 
 times called by certain people out here, will agree with me 
 when they learn that just two hom-s before the attack on the
 
 THE NAVAL BRIGADE. 223 
 
 Redan the sui'geon in the Quarries was " run out" of lint, 
 plaster, and bandages, and could get no one to go up to his 
 principal medical officer for them for a long time, althougli a 
 great action with the enemy was just impending, and the 
 Quarries were the very place where a large numher of casualties 
 must have been expected. This statement I have on the word 
 of a general officer, to whom the surgeon applied for assistance. 
 Again, some regiments did not take down more litters than on 
 ordinary occasions. This practice, however, would be approved 
 by those who maintain with considerable strength of argumenta- 
 tion, that no wovmded officers or men should be taken off the 
 field at all while an action is going on, inasmuch as every 
 woimded man taken to the rear caiTies off six or eight com- 
 batants who retire on the pretence of carrying or attending on 
 him, and thus aflbrds opportimities for skulking and sneaking 
 away to a few cowardly men who set a bad example to 
 others. 
 
 With reference to Sir George Brown's speech, which hasjust 
 reached us, one may say it is rather astonishing to find an officer 
 so fond of plain speaking and candour omitting to tell his audi- 
 ence what he often told a select circle out here — that he thought 
 Sebastopol never would be taken, and that the expedition was a 
 mistake — apophthegms which the croakers at once circulated 
 with lugubrious alacrity, so that the staff of the Light Division 
 was of anything but a lively character. 
 
 As the Naval Brigade are now going home, a short resume 
 of their services, which will do them little justice, may not be 
 out of place. The Naval Brigade landed on the 25th of October, 
 and were at once set to the very onerous duty of di-agging up 
 the heavy siege guns to tno batteries, or to the parks of artillery 
 in front. They brought up their own ammunition, provisioned 
 themselves all through the winter, were their own commissariat, 
 mounted their own guns, repaired their damaged embrasures, 
 and were only 24 hours on and 24 hours oft' duty when the bat- 
 teries Avere in play. The latest Naval and Military Gazettes 
 have shoAVTi the immense number of promotions and of rewards 
 conferred on the army for services in the field, and yet no sailor 
 in the Naval Brigade has received a gratuity, though many of 
 them have been recommended to the Admiralty over and over 
 again. The last promotion and gratuity in the brigade was 
 given on November 10, 1854. During the siege the Naval 
 Brigade served for 33 days of heavy bombardment and can-
 
 224 OPPORTUNITIES NEGLECTED. 
 
 nonade. From December, 1854, out of 1,400 men, 31 died from 
 sickness, 61 were killed, 24 wounded mortally, and 331 were 
 more or less severely wounded — total killed, wounded, and dead, 
 447. What the forthcoming Gazettes may bring forth I cannot 
 say, but I can answer for it now, that, knowing many officers of 
 the late brigade as I do, there is scarcely one of the lieutenants 
 who is not bitterlj' discontented. On June IS Lieutenant Kidd 
 and Mr. Kennedy went out of the trench to bring in a wounded 
 soldier ; Kidd was killed in the generous attempt, and it was 
 thought that Kennedy, as senior mate of the Naval Brigade and 
 the companion of poor Kidd in such a noble act, would be sure 
 to succeed to the vacancy created by the death of his friend. 
 It is laid down in the service regulations, that an officer, when 
 promoted, must be eligible for promotion in point of time. 
 Kennedy had seen two years' service. There was on board tlie 
 fleet a mate named Graham, who Avas three days short of the 
 time in which he might be eligible to receive promotion a.s 
 Lieutenant. The Admiral should, it is asserted, have fiUed^up 
 the vacancy at once. He kept it open for three days. Mr. 
 Graham was warned to prepare to pass his examination. When 
 he had done so, the Admiral signalled to him to come and break- 
 fast on board the flag-ship, and as soon as he made his ap- 
 pearance his commission as Lieutenant was handed to him. He 
 subsequently served a short time in the trenches, but after a 
 lew days was moved from that dutj^ and appointed to the 
 " Fury!" 
 
 Thursday. 
 
 Just as the cavalry are going to Constantinople draughts 
 arrive here for them. The " Great Britain" now exhibits her 
 huge hulk in Balaklava. 
 
 The " Europa" has arrived with shot, shell, and huts. All 
 spare shot and shell is to be sent on board ships for home or 
 conveyance to Constantinople. 
 
 There are great complaints of the new carts and waggons for 
 the Land Transport Corps. 
 
 As some of our men were at work to-day near the Strand 
 Battery a spark fell down from a pipe on a quantity of gun- 
 powder, which ignited a small magazine, blew up the house, 
 killed three or four men, and wounded fourteen ! 
 
 Friday. 
 
 The weather continues very fine. The firing is heavy at
 
 SECRET EXPEDITIONS. 225 
 
 intervals. Sir II. Jones is on board ship, unwell. There are 
 rumours that Sir E. Lyons will soon relinquish his command, 
 as his health is said to be giving way. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 SIGXS OF A MOVE. 
 
 Kumours of an expedition— Destruction of the houses and puWic buildings 
 of Sebastopol — Iload-niaking — The railway and the central road — 
 Preparations for the winter— Beautiful weather — Wild flowers — French 
 and Russian practice — Diary — The Russians commence a heavy fire — 
 An enormous convoy — Revival of the Russian Donnybrook Fair — A 
 serious accident — Destruction of the Imperial Barracks of Sebastopol 
 by fire — Carelessness — A dashing exploit by the French — Council of 
 Generals — Something in the wind — General inspection and review — 
 Certainty of a move — Conjectures as to the destination of the expe- 
 dition. 
 
 Before Sebastopoi., October 2. 
 
 The army is amused by rumours of active service, while there 
 are only signs of hybernation and stagnation in camp. Our 
 allies and the enemy nevertheless are stirring. It is whispered 
 that on Thursday next a secret expedition will start for a place 
 the name of which is by no means secret, and that 25,000 
 French and 15,000 English troops are to go on board the fleet 
 with all possible expedition on that day. Again, it is said, 
 " orders have been received from England" by electric telegraph 
 to keep all steamers in Balaklava or at Kamiesch ; but, if such 
 orders have been sent, they were assuredly disobeyed, for 
 steamers leave Balaklava daily, and the " Great Britain," the 
 largest of them all, is getting ready to return home on Saturday 
 next, and will be preceded by the " Colombo," and several 
 others. The telegraph has many evil qualities attributed to it. 
 Though generally quick in its operations, it is sometimes too 
 slow. For example, it is stated that orders were sent from 
 home to spare the houses, public buildings, and docks of Sebas- 
 topol. It was only in our power to comply with the latter part 
 of this injunction, for the bombs and shot of om- batteries, aided 
 hj the enemy's destructiveness, had laid all the rest in ruins. 
 The docks only require a lighted match to fire the train, and 
 these models of grand design and of beautiful workmanship will 
 be mere craters of blocks of red gra-nite, fine sandstone, and 
 
 VOL. II. Q
 
 226 SIGXS OF A MOVE. 
 
 gi'anite. Another indication of an intention to move is sup- 
 posed to be conveyed by the fact that returns have been 
 requu'ed from each regiment of the number of bat horses 
 belonging to it. Those returns are not asked for in anti- 
 cipation of any expedition whatever. The work of the army 
 is actually that of preparation, not for motion but for stagna- 
 tion. The men are engaged on great roads from the ports to 
 the front, which will be permanent marks of the occupation of 
 this portion of the Crimea by the allied armies for centuries ; in 
 fact, with so much labour at their disposal, our authorities are 
 determined, if possible, to atone for the apathy of last autumn. 
 It must be remembered that the enemy has an equal amount of 
 labour set free for the accumulation of stores and the formation 
 and repair of roads, and that they can now cover the Crimea 
 with depots and fortified lines from Simpheropol to the Belbek. 
 The roads which we are making are almost beyond the require- 
 ments of an army of temporary occupation. They are broad and 
 well paved so far as they have gone — in some places they have 
 been tunnelled through the rock, which here and there can only 
 be removed by heavy blasting charges. The railway is now 
 assuming an appearance of great solidity. Beside it winds the 
 Central-road, and from the new central depot, under Mr. Brew, 
 which has been removed from the Col de Balaklava to an open 
 space in the rear of the Second Division and between the Guards' 
 Brigade and the Fourth Division, there are divisional roads in 
 progress, which will also communicate with the divisional depots. 
 When the railway is worked by locomotives, instead of horses, 
 the permanent way will endure much better, and a great deal 
 more work will be got out of the line. All these preparations 
 are being made to enable the army to exist comfortably in its 
 winter cantonments, to bring up huts, food, clothing, and fuel, 
 and to remove guns, mortars, &c. from the front. The trenches 
 will be left as they are, except in so far as the parapets will 
 be affected by the removal of the gabions which the men 
 are permitted to take awaj"^ for firewood. For these peaceful 
 labours we have been blessed by the most lovely weather. The 
 days are warm, and the air is charmingly fresh and pure. The 
 autumnal or second summer of the Crimea has shone upon us with 
 all the delightful influences of repose. The earth teems again 
 with herbs and flowers of autumn. Numerous bulbous plants 
 are springing up over the steppes, among which the " Colchicura 
 Autumnale" holds a prominent place, and the hill sides ring
 
 ACTIVITY OF THE FOE. 227 
 
 with the frequent volleys directed \ipon innumerahle quail, 
 against wliicli our army wages fierce battle at present. 
 
 The demolition of the houses in Sebastopol goes on, but it is 
 not so safe to visit the place as it was formerly, inasmuch as the 
 Kussians now shell vigorously, and throw shot at any consider- 
 able groups which they notice in the streets. The French have 
 two mortars, which once belonged, I believe, to the Russians ; 
 they are placed among the ruins of the Karabelnaia, and bom- 
 bard the barracks in the citadel with great success. 
 
 Subjoined is a short diary of our proceedings smce last 
 mail-day -.-^ 
 
 Sunday. 
 
 The enemy, having discovered the preparations for throwing 
 up batteries near Fort Alexander and the ruins of Fort Paul by 
 the French and English respectively, commenced a heavy fire 
 from the northern works and forts this morning, which they con- 
 tinued throughout the day, and which, at times, amounted to a 
 cannonade. The French mortars, aided by some guns on the 
 left, replied with vigom-. The Russians fired fi-om Fort ilichael, 
 from Little Severnaya, and from the Harbour Spur Battery, and 
 theu" shot went crashing through the ruined houses, but did not 
 do any very serious injury. An enormous convoy was seen 
 going out of the northern camps towards Simpheropol, but it 
 was impossible to ascertain whether the carts were full or 
 empty. As it was an exceedingly clear day, we could see into 
 the Russian camps as plainly as if they had been our own, and 
 through my glass I could make out the faces of the gunners on 
 the top of Fort Catherine, who were working the guns en har- 
 bett&i The enemy were labouring with great energy at new bat- 
 teries all over the extensive series of sloping hill-sides south of 
 the Belbek. Their Kadikoi, or Donnybrook fair, had, like ours, 
 revived again, and was well attended, and in the distance large 
 herds of oxen ranged at will. On going down to the town I 
 heard that our 17-gun battery, begun last night by Lieutenant 
 Graham, R.E., had been stopped by order. Possibly we may be 
 going to do something which will render such works of no 
 utility. The progress of the men in removing wood from the 
 houses is so rapid that there will scarcely be a stick of the place 
 left. At four o'clock a serious accident occurred, which has 
 inflicted some loss on the army in depriving them of a consider- 
 able magazine of wood. A shell sent by the Russians bm-st close 
 to the barracks, and a merchant sailor ran to look at the crater 
 q2
 
 228 SIGXS OF A MOVE. 
 
 which it formed in the ground. He then entered the building 
 itself, and sauntered about smoking his pipe till he came to some 
 loose gunpowder, on which, being of a scientific and experimen- 
 talizing turn of mind, he tried the effects of dropping several 
 sparks from the burning tobacco. The powder, as is not unusual 
 in such cases, exploded with violence, and blew up the sailor and 
 a sentiy outside. They were both dreadfully burnt. As the 
 floor was covered with cartridges and loose powder, the fire 
 spread, and went leaping on by fits and starts to a large quantity 
 of the same combustible matter. No one could get near to 
 stop the fire. At last it reached the magazine, and the explo- 
 sion blew out the walls and ceilings of the central barrack. The 
 flames set fire to the dry woodwork, and in a short time the 
 whole pile of buildings, which were of admirable construction, 
 was in a blaze. The conflagration lasted till all that could be 
 burnt was consumed, and lighted up the sky at night to a great 
 distance. All that remains of the Imperial Barracks of Sebas- 
 topol is a mass of charred and blackened stones, split by the 
 action of fire. The Russians, thinking that the accident had 
 been caused by their own fire, plied their guns with increased 
 vigour, and threw shot and shell around the place, but did no 
 damage. It is not quite certain that the man who caused the acci- 
 dent was a sailor. Some people say he was a navvy of the Army 
 Works Corps. Whoever he was, by the act for which he paid 
 so dearly, he destroyed not less than 30,000 cartloads of wood, 
 which might have been made available for hutting and fuel. It 
 is, on the whole, a miracle that more accidents of the kind do 
 not occur, owing to the neglect of the authorities and the care- 
 lessness of the men. No one seems to think it necessary to 
 destroy the great quantities of powder, loose and in cartridges, 
 which may be found in all the Russian batteries, and in every 
 nook and corner of the place. It was only the other day a naval 
 officer pointed out to me the danger arising from the number of 
 live shell lying inside the Redan. The fuses are simply open 
 tubes of wood, and have no caps, so that a spark setting fire to 
 one fuse would cause all the shells to explode. These live shells 
 are to be seen in all directions, and are generally nicely imbedded 
 near small magazines or piles of cartridges. It is now supposed 
 that the explosion which took place in the Strand Battery, and 
 hurt so many men, was a fougasse. The Russians seem to be 
 strengthening their camps near Mackenzie's Farm.
 
 LEAVE OF ABSE>'CE. 229 
 
 Monday. 
 
 Intelligence has been received to-day tliat on Friday or Satur- 
 day the French troops near Eupatoria surprised a Eussian 
 detachment and convoy, capturing six guns, 170 prisoners, 
 and some carts and horses. A council of Generals was held 
 to-day at head-quarters, at which Marshal Pelissier was present, 
 and there are " strong suspicions" that we are at last going 
 " to do something." Orders have been sent to the French fleet 
 to prepare for the reception of 15,000 men to-morrow. The 
 conferences between the Generals have been frequent of late. 
 
 The detachment of Royals doing duty at head-quarters as 
 guard have been relieved by 200 men of the Rifle Brigade, under 
 the command of Captain Fyers. There has not been much 
 firing from or on the town to-day, but the French at Inkermann 
 are annoying a new Russian camp at the other side of the ravine 
 by constant discharges of long range rockets. We hear that 
 General Bentinck is going home, and that he will probably be 
 succeeded in his command by Lord W. Paulet. Lord West, an 
 able and distinguished ofiicer, is also going home, and to-day the 
 name of Colonel Norcott appears in orders with leave of absence 
 on urgent private affairs. Colonel Norcott's services in the 
 field are a matter of history. Except when stricken down by 
 fever for a short time, he never left his men since the brigade 
 landed at Gallipoli, primus in Turcis. With equal gallantry 
 and skill he advanced to the vineyards, led his wing up the 
 steep of the Alma in front of the Light Division, full in the 
 throat of the Russian batteries, and where the terrible fii'e of his 
 men caused the enemy the loss of most valuable officers and 
 soldiers. It needs not to be said that the temporary absence of 
 such an officer would be a severe loss to the army if there was 
 anything to be done, but the reasons which induce him to leave 
 the field on which he won so much renown and esteem are 
 imperative. 
 
 Mr. Hayter, of the commissariat, is not the commissary 
 officer reported as killed on the 8th in the telegraphic despatch 
 from head-quarters. He is alive and well, and was never in the 
 way of being hit. Although several oflUcers of the Commissariat 
 Department have been under fire, only one of them, Mr. Blane, 
 has received any injury, and his "wound" was a slight scratch in 
 the face, received as he was going to his own tent in the Third 
 Division, late at night, by a stone which was knocked up by one 
 of the lonof ranjje round shots.
 
 230 SIGNS OF A MOVE, 
 
 Tuesday. 
 At ten o'clock tliis morning a general commotion arose in 
 camp, in consequence of the sounding of the assembly and the 
 turning out of all the men. At the same time the Light Divi- 
 sion was inspected, and the artillery were reviewed in the open 
 space in front of our lines towards Inkermann. The 1st brigade 
 of the Fourth Division received orders to hold themselves in 
 readiness to march at dawn to-morrow morning. It is at last 
 evident that some active operation will be attempted ere winter 
 sets in. So sudden was the order that all the various working 
 parties were interrupted in their Avork, and marched off to their 
 respective regiments after they had been occupied in roadmaking 
 only a couple of hours. The men detailed to the Land Trans- 
 port Corps and to the Commissariat Department were sought 
 out and told to rejoin their regiments at once. A general 
 parade and inspection of French troops of the divisions of Inker- 
 mann are now going on. It is conjectured that we shall go to 
 Theodosia, Kertch, or Eupatoria. The telegi'aph will inform 
 you of the expedition, and, possibly, of its results, long ere these 
 lines can reach London. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Speculations on the expedition — An amusing story, illustrative of aristo- 
 cratic sagacity — Various expeditions — Distribution of the forces in tlie 
 fleet — The mixed commission — Its proceedings — List of members— 
 The case of the military surgeons — Dr. Hall's letter — Lord Panmure's 
 reply — An unfortunate omission — Jealousy between the military and 
 the civil surgeons — Rivalries — Feuds — Sir George Brown's prejudice in 
 favour of Varna — Health of the army — Its strength — Its consumptive 
 powers — Destruction of corn at Kertch an unwise proceeding — Scarcity 
 of flour and of rum — Butchers without their implements — Bad tools— 
 The Russian army on tlie Belbek — Deserters — Their accounts of want 
 and suffering in the Russian camp — Forlorn condition of two deserters 
 — Attempted classification by a contemporary writer of the regiments 
 engaged in the attack on the Redan, Into English, Irish, and Scotch, 
 fallacious — Dissatisfaction of the crew of the "Diamond" at being 
 excluded from the Crimean medal — General Simpson presented with 
 the Order of the Medjidie of the First Class, &c. — Similar honour to 
 Marshal Pelissier — Arrival of Lieutenant Goneste at head quarters — 
 Embarkation — Activity of the French and Russian batteries — Move- 
 ments in the Russian camp. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, October 5. 
 
 The expedition seems to be determined upon, and will as- 
 suredly sail this week, unless the weather should tm-nout very^
 
 AN EXPEDITION. 231 
 
 unfavourable. The Light (not the Hussar) Brigade of Cavahy 
 have received orders to hold tliemselves in readiness to embark, 
 and it is believed they are going to Eupatoria. Our destination 
 is kept as close as possible, but every one affects to know it, 
 points it out slily on charts, or mutters it into your ear. The 
 excursion of the fleet, and its return a short time ago, may now 
 have a deeper significance than has been generally supposed, but, 
 if it was a ruse, the secret is known to the enemy. The electric 
 telegraph quite annihilates one's speculative and inductive 
 faculties. What's the use of trying to find out where an 
 expedition is going to, when long before the result of one's 
 investigation can reach England, not only the destination but 
 the results of that expedition will be known from John o'Groat's 
 to Land's-end ? You stop in the midst of your anxious impetus 
 to convey information, and recollect that all your recent intelli- 
 gence will be flat, stale, and very unprofitable on 'Change before 
 the letter has reached Constantinople. There is, indeed, a story 
 in circulation that the brother of a noble Duke received a letter 
 from his Grace, in which he declared his belief that Sebastopol 
 could not be taken, just a few houi's before the telegraph an- 
 nounced its capture, and that the contents of the said epistle 
 were too largely promulgated to prevent the Duke's reputation 
 as a soothsayer from being seriously damaged. We are told this 
 expedition is going to Oczakoff, at the entrance to the Bug, or 
 to Kinburn, or other abstruse places known in England only 
 to the " Hertfordshire Incumbent" and a few Fellows of the 
 Geographical Society. You will be intimately acquainted with, 
 all its proceedings, not to speak of its destination, by the time 
 this communication is half way to Marseilles, and I am almost 
 afraid to say where I think we are going to, but with much 
 deference suggest that it is intended as a feeler towards 
 Nicholaieff. The exact number of French I have not ascer- 
 tained, but I have heard that it will amount to 15,000. The 
 Light Cavah-y Brigade, under Lord George Paget, C.B., is said 
 1o be destined for Eupatoria, and it is evident that a strong 
 demonstration is intended against the Eussian convoys west- 
 ward of the Tchongar route into Eussia. If we are only blessed 
 with moderate weather for a few weeks, these expeditions, judi- 
 ciously handled, may precipitate the evacuation of the Crimea ; 
 but if the winter gales set in early it will be hazardous or im- 
 possible to effect a landing. Abeady the skies look unsettled 
 and lowering — dark fog banks rest occasionally on the Euxine,
 
 232 
 
 SIGNS OF A MOVE. 
 
 and masters of sailing transports anchored outside Balaklava, in 
 thirty or forty fatlioms of water, (!ast suspicious glances to wind- 
 ward as they think of the storm of November 14, 1S54. 
 
 The following is the distribution of the forces of the expedi- 
 tion to be embarked under Brigadier-General the Hon. A. 
 Spencer : — 
 
 Keisriment. 
 
 17tli Regiment 
 
 20th Regiment . 
 
 21st Regiment . 
 
 67tli Regiment . 
 
 63id Regiment . 
 
 Royal Marines . 
 
 Cavalry . . . 
 
 Royal Engineers 
 
 Staff .... 
 
 Medical Staff . 
 
 Regimental Staff 
 
 Commls. Staff 
 
 Royal Artillery 
 
 Royal Artillery 
 
 Royal Artillery 
 
 Ship. 
 
 H.M.S. Royal Albert . . 
 
 H.M.S. Algiers . . . . 
 
 H.M.S Hannibal . . . 
 H.M.S. Leopard and Sidon 
 
 H.M.S. Trince.ss Royal . . 
 
 H.M S. St. Jean d'Acre . 
 
 Screw transport Indian . 
 
 Officers. 
 28 
 30 
 31 
 32 
 30 
 37 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 Sailing ship Arabia 
 Sailing ship Prince Alfred 
 
 Screw steamer Charity 
 
 ;} 
 
 Men. 
 756 
 474 
 643 
 724 
 6-.>4 
 800 
 20 
 60 
 
 200 
 
 Horses. 
 
 21 
 
 4* 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 23 
 
 1 
 
 loot 
 
 f Land transport 1 
 \ cacets, litters, &c. ^ 
 
 CO 
 
 120t 
 
 The sailing ship Orient, with medical comforts, blankets, &c. 
 The screw-steamer Lady A. Lambton, with one month's provisions, and 
 forage, and the St. Jean d'Acre also carries tents and officers' baggage. 
 
 In this distribution some alterations and deviations will no 
 doubt be made — some additions to the ships, some few mistakes, 
 perhaps. But at present the men are all embarked, and every- 
 thing is ready for the departure of the troops. I hope to let 
 you have some details of interest, in spite of the lateness of the 
 season, and of the arid and wretched place to which we are 
 bound. We know there is no water to be found there. Hence 
 the small number of horses taken. The " Leander" and "Triton" 
 will be obliged to supply the " Indian" and " Charity" with water. 
 This is a serious matter. It is vmderstood that the men will 
 remain out for the winter. 
 
 The Mixed Commission which has been sitting in Sebastopol 
 for the purpose of dividmg and valuing the warlike stores and 
 provisions abandoned by the enemy in their retreat from the 
 j)lace, has combined the functions of the three infernal judges 
 with gi-eat skill, and has been by turns Minos, iEacus, and 
 Ehadamanthus — for, although it certainly has condemned no 
 one to death, it has consigned many worthless bodies of materiel 
 
 * 1 D tons of stores, &c. 
 
 t C guns, e waggons. 
 
 t 15 carts.
 
 THE MIXED COMMISSION. 233 
 
 to destruction. Its deliberations have at times been perturbed, 
 if' they have not been suspended, by the attentions of the 
 enemy's cannoneers, for tlie street in which the house of the 
 commissioners is situate has been, it appears, selected with a 
 view to remind them of the value of guns, balls, and gun- 
 powder, as it is completely enfiladed by the fire of one of the 
 batteries. Sometimes a shot has bumped against the walls of 
 the mansion, and shaken the bodies corporate, though it might 
 not have disturbed the nerves of the members. Sometimes a 
 shell has blurted into the rooms, and routed outlying artists as 
 they sketched the ruins of Sebastopol. But the commissioners 
 have pursued and now almost terminated their labours, and their 
 report will be an exceedingly interesting index to the actual re- 
 maining resources of the Russians in Sebastopol, after a siege 
 and active operations of eleven months' duration. 
 
 The following is a list of the members of the commission: — 
 
 Feench. 
 
 Mazure, General d'Artillerie. 
 Feldstraffe, Capitaine du Genie. 
 Laurent, Lieutenant de Vaisseau. 
 Cicoza, Capitaine d'Artillerie. 
 Goutier, Adjoint a I'lntendance. 
 De Calac, Capitaine d'Artillerie. 
 Cadurst, Chef de Bataillon du Genie. 
 Genoux de la Coche, Capitaine de Fregate. 
 La Cabriniere, Sous-intendant. 
 
 English. 
 
 Captain Drummond, R.N. 
 
 Brigadier-General Dupuis, E.A. 
 
 Major Staunton, R.E. 
 
 Commander F. Martin, R.N. 
 
 Assistant-Commissary-General Crookshanlc 
 
 Captain Shaw, R.A. 
 
 A. Rumble. 
 
 Lieutenant BuUer, R.N. 
 
 Captain Montagu, R.E. 
 
 Assistant-Commissary-General Lundy. 
 
 Captain Dickson, R.A. 
 
 A. W. Johnson, Secretary to the Commission.
 
 234 SIGNS OP A MOVE, 
 
 It is generally known tliat Englishmen like to grumble. Is 
 it true that England gives them reason for indulging in their 
 notorious tendencies ? Now, for instance, the doctors (in com- 
 mon with nearly every class of officers) are highly indignant 
 at the alleged neglect and indifference of the authorities to 
 their claims. Is it to he understood that English mihtary 
 surgeons are not entitled to any honorary reward ? Lord Pan- 
 mure does not say so, hut he lets Lord Raglan's shade stand 
 hetwixt him and the angry doctors. The case stands thus : — • 
 After the publication of the recent lists of brevets, promotions, 
 and decorations of the Bath, &c., Dr. Hall, urged thereunto by 
 sundry weighty considerations, addressed an energetic and 
 reasonable letter to Dr. Andrew Smith, animadverting upon, 
 or at least pointing distinctly to, the exclusion of the surgeons 
 of the army from the rewards bestowed with no niggard hand 
 upon their comrades of the Staff and of the regiments. Dr. 
 Smith sent that letter to Lord Panmure, and his Lordship, who 
 has not studied polemical divinity for nothing, and is, more- 
 over, a capital hand at finding out a good official excuse, replied 
 to it, and met the case by a plea of confession and avoidance. 
 Nothing would his Lordship be more ready, nothing was he 
 more anxious to do, than to recommend deserving medical 
 officers for promotion, but the fact was, that he was in utter 
 ignorance of the deserts of the gentlemen in question, for, on 
 looking to Lord Raglan's despatches, he found that the Field- 
 Marshal had never said a good word for any of that genus or 
 species of man-militant. They could not even boast of the 
 official damnation of a fiiint applause from head-quarters, nor is 
 there much solid pudding to compensate for the want of empty 
 praise from which they have sufl'ered. Although these officers 
 do not wish to be placed mider a system of supervision like 
 that of the French intendance, they feel that such a course 
 would at least relieve them from much responsibility and con- 
 sequent blame, and that it would secure to them special mention 
 and official recognition of meritorious services or of extraordinary 
 exertion. 
 
 In one case, at least, I know for a fact that a General of 
 Division, with many of the oaths which he lavishes in enforcing 
 professions of earnestness and sincerity, declared to the principal 
 medical officer of his division that he had intended to mention 
 him specially to Lord Raglan, for his zeal and devotion after 
 the battle of the Alma, but that he had imfortunately forgotten
 
 OUR ARMY SURGEONS. 2oJ 
 
 to do so in his despatch. However, he would — he would hy 
 
 , do so at once — write a despatch, and so on. Did he ? If 
 
 he did, Lord llaglan never paid the least attention to it. The 
 wretched jealousies of our system are contagious. The instant 
 a civilian becomes connected with the army he is caught at 
 once, and becomes involved with A, B, or C, who has something 
 or other to do with him. The military surgeons are jealous of 
 — well, they do not like — the civil sm'geons. The latter think 
 the former assume too many airs, and that they despise the 
 civil element, which is fresher from the hospitals, and knows 
 a great deal more about the theories of the day than be- 
 sworded and bespurred fogies who swear by Lawrence or Larrey. 
 There is an int^nccine battle of " corps," which is chiefly de- 
 veloped in brisk afiairs of outposts. What man of the Line or 
 Guards is not " down " on the Engineers ? What Engineer 
 has recovered the mortal wounds inflicted on him by lazy soldiers 
 who would not work in the trenches ? Is not that "' confounded 
 Kaval Brigade, that gets all the praise," an eyesore and a 
 stumbling-block to the ill-used siege train ? Ai-e not the in- 
 fantry tickled with ironical mirth at the notion that the cavalry 
 have done anything? Are not the cavalry wroth that they 
 should have been turned into di'aymen, porters, and hewers of 
 wood and drawers of water for the infantry dm-ing the winter ? 
 The Eoyal Horse Artillery have similar grievances. As to the 
 contests between Commissariat oflBcers and Land Transport 
 officers, if smothered by official forms they blaze below the 
 paper. The defunct navvies waged liorrida hella with the 
 Commissariat department also. The Quartermaster- General's 
 department is trying to do as little as it can to comply with 
 the large requests of the Ai'my Works Corps, and the railway 
 interest and the road-making are by no means on the best pos- 
 sible terms. The Ambulance Corps, while it still existed in the 
 body, was savagely tickled up, probed, walked into, reported 
 upon, and attacked by the doctors ; and as to the method pur- 
 sued in higher quarters — we are afraid to reveal the battlefields 
 ■whereon so many of our soldiers perished in times gone by ; — 
 
 " Tantsene animis coelestibus irse ?" 
 
 There is one part of Sir George Brown's speech to which, 
 though of no overwhelming importance, I must in the interest 
 of truth refer. The General speaks of the beauty of Varna, and 
 of its park-like scenery, adducing these as presumptive evidence
 
 236 SIGNS OF A MOVE, 
 
 that it was healthy. Now, Varna is by no means beautiful ; 
 nor is the district close to it remarkable for any such scenery 
 as Sir George Brown, in his poetical enthusiasm, describes ; 
 but his language is applic^able to Devno. If it was reallj' in- 
 tended for Varna, one can only say that the Light Division had 
 very little to do with the place. But does not Sir George 
 Brown remember that Dr. Hall, at Lord Raglan's request, went 
 out to report on the site of the camp at Devno, and that he at 
 once condemned it the moment he saw it, and sent in a report, 
 which Sir George in his obstinacy ignored, till he was forced 
 to break up his camp, and retire in confusion and dismay by 
 the attack of the cholera ? 
 
 At present the troops are in excellent health: Our strength 
 is very considerable. It is almost as numerous as that with which 
 the Duke fought the battle of Vittoria. The infantry numbers 
 27,000 ; the cavalry 3,500 ; the artillery 9,000— in fine, General 
 Simpson has under his command not less than 38,000 effectives 
 of all arms. There are few matters of complaint ; but an army 
 is an insatiable creature, and its providers must be as thoughtful 
 and foreseeing as ants. Supplies must come in beforehand 
 in prodigious quantities, or we are starved out. A pile of stores 
 disappears in a day. To all commissai'iat officers in charge at 
 Balaklava it may be well said — " Nulla fronti fides" — "Have 
 no faith in the front." 
 
 When we hear of deficient harvests and of a want of bi'ead- 
 stutfs at home, the recollection of the enormous quantities of 
 wheat and corn destroyed at Kertch seizes upon our minds. 
 At the time it seemed wasteful, almost wicked, to burn this 
 corn, when we were bringing food at enormous expense from 
 England and every country in the world. We are now sending 
 agents to America to buy breadstufls. Could not Sir George 
 Brown have managed to carry away a few of the millions of 
 pounds of the precious article which were destroyed so reck- 
 lessly P Verily, there is a Nemesis springs out of such deeds 
 sooner or later, and ruin has not been long in attaining a dan- 
 gerous maturity. We have been obliged to borrow flour from 
 both French and Sardinians — but then, it must be remembered 
 that we consider it necessary to give our men bread four times 
 a-week, though the French are contented if they get bread once 
 a- week. Our stock of rum is exhausted. The rum-ships have 
 not come in, and at present the whole army is drawing its 
 supplies fi'om the commissariat stores of the 4th Division, where
 
 BAD TOOLS. 237 
 
 Captain Dick, Land Transport Corps, and Deputy-Assistant 
 Commissary-CJeneral Uarlee bad accuniiilated rum I'or their men 
 for seventy days. 
 
 As an instance of other deficiencies, I may mention that the 
 butchers cmliarked for tlic commissariat of the expedition have 
 no implements to carry on their trade with, and tliat they can- 
 not procure them in the camp, even though they were willing 
 to pay for them. In the same way the soldiers on the roads 
 have scanty and inadequate tools to work with, and those used 
 during the siege by the army are worn out. Captain Foster, 
 who is in charge of the Croat and civil labourers, will be obliged 
 to go down to Constantinople in a few days to purchase tools, 
 and, instead of getting good ai'ticles from England, we spend 
 money and time in trying to repair those which are really use- 
 less. The Sappers' tools, which have been handed over to the 
 naen employed under the Army Works Corps here, are all that 
 could be expected of them. 
 
 But what are these evils when compai-ed with those endured 
 by our adversary ? True, indeed, that of the condition of the 
 llussian army encamped on the Belbek nothing certain is known 
 in camp, but the generals have means of information, the 
 action and the results of Avhich are not divulged. Now and 
 then one gets a glimpse of the world beyond the adverse 
 sentries. The pickets bring in some foot-sore, ragged, emaciated, 
 sickly-looking deserter, who tells a sad tale of want and sutiering. 
 Is he a Dolon or not ? That is the question. The deserters 
 who come in to the Sardinians are sent to our head-quarters ; 
 those who surrender to the Turks are brought to the French 
 Q,uartier General. The last two who arrived at General 
 Simpson's were a Pole and a Russian, and both were in such a 
 condition as to excite the liveliest compassion among our 
 soldiers. Their clothes were in rags, and the fragments of their 
 boots scarcely clung to their feet. They came from the army 
 near Baidar, and they stated that all the men were in the same 
 state ; that all they had to eat was bread or biscuit and barley, 
 and that they get no meat, and had only occasional issues of 
 quarter rations of vodka, or spirits. Their otficers told the 
 troops that the allies were starving, and had no forage for their 
 horses ; and these two men were observed to laugh and throw 
 up their hands in surprise as they passed the great piles of pro- 
 visions accumulated at our depot on the Col. They said tliey 
 were laughing at the lies which had been told to them. They
 
 238 SIGXS OF A MOVE. 
 
 were in sucli a forlorn state tliat Colonel Blane, the kind and 
 feeling commandant of the head-quarters' camp, sent down an 
 active and intelligent non-comniissioned officer, Sergeant Gilles- 
 pie, of the Provost Marshal's department, under whose imme- 
 diate control all prisoners are placed, to the Russian stores at 
 Sebastopol to get them great-coats and clothing, but he could 
 not find any boots, and it was observed that no boots were in 
 store when the place was taken, and that the prisoners were 
 very badly shod. This is very unusual with Russian troops, 
 and shows the straits to which their army must be reduced. 
 Wlien the place was evacuated the English took sixty-two pri- 
 soners, many of whom were drunk and asleep amid the ruins of 
 the houses, and they were all badly dressed and ill provided 
 with shoes or boots. The wounded men taken in recent 
 affairs of outposts by the Sardinians are in the same sad state, 
 and the fact appears evident that the Russians are rapidly de- 
 clining in condition and in external efficiency. The men state 
 that they get 31b. of bread or l^lb. of biscuit a-day, and a little 
 tarley, which they bod into a kind of soup ; this constitutes 
 their rations. Now and then, as I said before, they receive a 
 small allowance of wheat or barley brandy. They are kept 
 alive by assurances that the allies must soon go, and then they 
 will have (poor deluded creatures !) the spoils of the English 
 camp, which is rich in everything but food. Most of these 
 men are exceedingly tractable, and they are found to make 
 excellent servants at head-quarters, so long as they are not al- 
 lowed to have rum. They are obedient, hard-working, and 
 easily contented, and their masters all speak highly of them. 
 Since the war began we have had nearly 1000 of them at head- 
 quarters, and very few of them have belied that character. One 
 of them, a Polish non-commissioned officer, was of great use as 
 a spy, but he was seized with an unconquerable desire to join 
 the Polish Legion at Varna, and had got as far as Odessa, when 
 he was recognised and shot as a deserter. There are many 
 races in the Russian army, but none seem willing to desert ex- 
 cept the Poles, and the number of these disafiected soldiers who 
 have come over to us is very small indeed. 
 
 In reference to a paragraph which you published from a con- 
 temporary, classifying the regiments engaged in the attack on 
 the Redan into English, Irish, and Scotch, in accordance with 
 the names each of them bears, I can assure you nothing can be 
 more fallacious than any deductions fi'om such data. It is not
 
 THE CRIMEAN MEDAL. 239 
 
 by any means true that each regiment consists in most part of 
 natives of the province or county from which it derives its name, 
 or that it is even raised in tliat part. For instance, a large 
 proportion of the 41st Welsh are Irish, and that regiment till 
 lately has been recruited in Ireland, but now orders have been 
 issued to raise men in Wales, where the character and reputation 
 of the regiment may at present exercise greater influence in 
 procuring recruits. The 77th, which is called the East Middle- 
 sex Ilegiment, is composed almost exclusively of Irishmen ; the 
 30th, or Cambridgeshire, also contains a very great number of 
 Irishmen ; and the 9()th, or Perthshire Volunteers, has quite as 
 many men from Tipperary as from the shire it is named after. 
 The same remark is true of many other regiments engaged ; 
 but there are very few Irish in the Rifle Brigade, still fewer in 
 the Highland regiments, and least of all in the Guards. The 
 21st North British Fusiliers contains many Irish and many 
 natives of Gloucester and Somersetshire — in fact, a regiment is 
 constituted of natives of the districts into which it sends its re- 
 cruiting parties and with which it has, as it were, a comiexion, 
 so that you will find a great number of the Royal Artillery come 
 from the north of Ireland, and of Riflemen from Kent, and of 
 Marines from the Midland counties and seaport towns of Eng- 
 land, and of the 71st Highland Light Infantry from Glasgow. 
 The names of the killed and wounded, though by no means a 
 certain or accurate index of the districts from which regiments 
 are recruited, generally furnish bases for a tolerably just ap- 
 proximation to the truth. 
 
 Considerable excitement exists among the crew of the Diamond 
 at finding themselves excluded from the Crimean medal. They 
 have been employed on shore since the commencement of the 
 siege, assisting the operations of the army and supposing them- 
 selves attached to it, and were thus excluded from all the 
 honours of the navy. They have toiled without ceasing 
 through the whole winter, and have been under arms whenever 
 the Russians advanced on Balaklava. They fail in obtaining 
 their medal simply because they are nobody's children. They 
 are not returned as engaged with the navy, neither do they ap- 
 pear on the muster roll of the army. The small part of the 
 crew serving in the batteries before Sebastopol obtain the medal, 
 but the majority, who were at Balaklava and the batteries about 
 Balaklava, do not.
 
 240 SIGNS OF A MOVE. 
 
 October 3. 
 General Simpson was this day presented by the Sultan's 
 envoy with the Order of the Medjidie of the First Class, and 
 with a magnificent sabre of honour incrusted with diamonds 
 and precious stones, and Marshal Pelissier received a similar 
 mark of the consideration of the Ottoman Porte. It is fair to 
 believe there was some sort of ceremonial at our quiet and un- 
 ostentatious head-quarters on the occasion. The Admirals came 
 over from Kamiesch and breakfasted with the General. Lieu- 
 tenant Geneste came down on board one of the small war steamers 
 fi'om the northward to Kamiesch, and visited head-quarters. 
 He was exchanged or delivered up a few days ago by the 
 Russians, who have treated him with their usual politic kind- 
 ness. The weather is dark, and the clouds are lowering to-day. 
 A strong wind, amounting to half a gale, blows at times, mingled 
 with rain. Everything is in readiness for the expedition, ex- 
 cept the sea. 
 
 October 4. 
 
 The first brigade of the Fourth Division marched down to 
 Kazatch this morning, and proceeded to embark on board the 
 ships, to which they were told off as speedily as circumstances 
 jjermitted. They were minutely inspected by Sir Henry Ben- 
 tinck, K.C.B., commanding the division, who delivered a few 
 words of advice, kindly meant and well received, before they 
 left. Brigadier-General Spencer, commanding the expedition, 
 accompanied them half-way towards the port. The brigade is in 
 very fine order, and forms a body of 3300 men, many of them 
 tried soldiers, and others fine strong men, able to do anything, 
 and in high spirits and courage. The Royal Marines began to 
 embark on board the "St. Jean d'Acre," which came round outside 
 Balaklava for them, and the P. Field Battery, Captain Johnson, 
 moved down to embark on board the ships told off for them in 
 the harbour. 
 
 October 6. 
 
 The preparations for the expedition and the embarkation of 
 the artillery and stores continue. A large body of the Royal 
 Marine Light Infantry, so long encamped on the heights of 
 Balaklava, were marched down to-day to the water's-edge, and 
 followed their comrades on board the " St. Jean d'Acre" outside, 
 to which they were conveyed in the " Wallace" steam-tug. Her 
 Majesty's steamer " Triton," Lieutenant A. D. W. Fletcher com- 
 manding, received orders to prepare to join the expedition, and
 
 HARMLESS CANNONADES. 241 
 
 Captain Leopold Heath, E.N., the Superintendent of Transports, 
 shifted his flag to the " Bucephalus" transport, attended by his 
 secretary, Mr. Barrs. The " Ivipon" still remains outside tlio 
 harbour, with the draughts of the Guards, of the 82nd Eegiment, 
 and of the Land Transport Corps, on board, as there is no room 
 for her until the " JMedway" or some other vessel of equal size 
 moves out. The " Telegraph" is discharging a portion of her 
 cargo of navvies belonging to the Army Works Corps. It has 
 looked like rain all day, but only a few gentle showers have 
 fallen. Early this morning it rained heavily at intervals, and 
 Balaklava was uncomfortably muddy all day in consequence, 
 but the sea is calm, and the wind has subsided. There are 
 encouraging reports respecting the progress of the French 
 towards the plateau of the Upper Belbck. In the front nothing 
 is doing except the ordinary road-malcing, and the extraordinary 
 drilling. The Russians keep up a slow, steady fire on the town, 
 to which the French reply with their wonted alacrity, and the 
 duels between the individual batteries sometimes swell into can- 
 nonades, but not much harm is done on either side, except the 
 knocking up of earth and stones, and some trifling casualties. 
 The repetition of these sounds is in itself sufficiently oflensive, 
 when we fondly hoped that we had heard the last Russian gun 
 from Sebastopol. Throughout the night the well-known flashes 
 light up the sky, and the twinkling, revolving fuses stiU indicate 
 the course of the shells, which look like so many shooting stars. 
 The enemy are engaged hutting themselves and removing their 
 stores towards the great depot between Inkermann and the 
 Belbek. A strong body of cavahy was seen moving north- 
 wards towards Simpheropol in the afternoon, accompanied, as 
 usual, by a force of field guns. 
 
 VOL. II.
 
 242 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXV. 
 
 PEEPAEATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 Bad tools — The borrowing system — The Army AVorks Corps, and their 
 model tents — Spoil from the town — Trophies — Forts Alexander and 
 Nicliolas not indestructible — Inferior nature of the material of which 
 they are constructed — The Catherine Boulevard of Sebastopol — Com- 
 munications with the Russians — Their account of the ciipture of the 
 Malakhofi' — Necessity of teaching our soldiers to work — Inferiority of 
 our troops to those of France and Russia in this respect — Truth of the 
 saying, " More battles are won by the spade than by the musket" — 
 Dissatisfaction of the French at not receiving the clasp for their share 
 in the battle of Inkermann — An Interchange of honours between the 
 two nations desirable — General Simpson's despatch respecting the 
 operations of the 8th of September — Affability of the French autho- 
 rities — The contrast afforded by the conduct of our own — The Adjutant- 
 General — Extract from a circular addressed by the Duke of Wellington 
 to all commanding officers of divisions and brigades, dated Freuada, 
 November 28, 1812 — Excellent cooking-houses and kitchens of the 
 19th and 48th Regiments — Preparations for the expedition. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, October 6. 
 There is not much to be said respecting the actual proceedings 
 of the army, which at present mainly consist in preparations for 
 the winter on the plateau before Sebastopol, in dismantling the 
 ruined houses of the city for wood, and in destroying the 
 trenches for the sake of the gabions, which burn very well and 
 save fuel. The attention of all is directed to the secret expe- 
 dition, the destination of which every one knows by this time, 
 and I trust that my next letter may prove more rateresting than 
 the present is likely to be. The road makes great progress. 
 Upwards of 6000 men are engaged upon it daily, and if Mr. 
 Doyne could procure more tools from the Quartermaster-General 
 the work would go on still faster ; but the fact is, that he 
 experiences considerable difficulty in getting the authorities to 
 comply with his requisitions, although he handed over the 
 materiel of the corps to them when he arrived in the Crimea. 
 Labour is, however, ample, and is not denied; the tools which 
 have been issued to Mr. Doyne are worn out and worthless, and 
 we are guilty of the very bad economy, in a country like this, 
 where skilled labour costs so much, of repairing implements 
 which have been damaged or used up, instead of issuing new 
 ones. Many of these tools belong to the Engineers' depart-
 
 BLUKS AND BLOTCHES. 243 
 
 ment, and have been completely worked up by the Sappers and 
 Miners during the siege. It can scarcely bo credited, but I am 
 assured it is a fact, that the butchers belonging to the Com- 
 missariat who have just gone on board the " Indian" to accom- 
 pany the expedition, have not, and cannot for love or money 
 procure, high or low, the weapons of their trade. No, we are 
 not perfect even yet. Though Sebastopol is ours, there are 
 little blui's and blotches which might be removed from our 
 administrative escutcheon by very small labours. We borrow 
 flour from the French, and we borrow flour from the Sar- 
 dinians, and, indeed, as we are liberal lenders, they cannot com- 
 plain of our making such small requisitions upon them now and 
 then. Our stock of rum runs so short that the regiments in front 
 are di'awing upon the depot of the Fourth Division for their 
 supplies. AVliat would a run of bad weather do ? One eighth 
 of our troops are still without huts ; and the very latest and most 
 improved corps sent out, with all the modern improvements — 
 the Army Works Coqjs — were provided with model tents, which 
 in a few weeks were so thoroughly annihilated, that there is 
 scarcely one left among the corps. To get requisite tools for 
 our Croats and labourers, Captain Foster is obliged to leave his 
 duties for the time, and go to Constantinople for implements of 
 Tm'kish manufacture, which I can from personal experience 
 declare to be bad, though nearly as good as om* own. 
 
 Sebastopol is gradually coming up piecemeal to the camp. 
 Doors, windows, locks, hinges, fire-places, stoves, pictures, chairs, 
 tables, beams of wood, roofing, ceiling, flooring, sheet-lead, 
 rolled copper, cut stone, crockery, and innumerable articles of every 
 description, are brought up by carts, horses, ponies, and by men, 
 every day in great quantities, and are found most useful in the 
 construction and ornamentation of our huts. Many articles of 
 English workmanship abounded, and canary birds sang and 
 flowers bloomed amid all the murky horrors of these blood- 
 stained casemates. All the shot and shell are to be collected, 
 and the French give their soldiers about ^\d. or M. for each 
 13-inch shell or large shot which they bring up to ceiiain 
 depots indicated for the purpose. I am not aware if any effort 
 of the kind is being made by oui'selves, but I suspect there must 
 be, as the shell and shot between the lines are gradually disap- 
 pearing. The thousands of tons of iron which cover the terrain 
 for ten or twelve miles in length by five in breadth, are " worthy 
 the attention of the speculative capitalist," or at all events of 
 
 £2
 
 244 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 the Government. There are very few officers who have not got 
 some trophies ; arms of various descriptions, great coats, and 
 helmets are the most common, but pictures of saints, often 
 embellished by the finders with grotesque adornments of mous- 
 tachios, short pipes, and eye-glasses, and portraits of the late 
 Czar, which have not quite escaped the spirit of improvement 
 manifested by our soldiery, are very common. Although the 
 Forts Alexander and Nicholas are nearly intact — a portion of the 
 curtain of the former was blown in by the explosion, but the rest 
 of it remains entire, and Fort Nicholas is but slightly injured — 
 the Russians are resolved not to spare them, and the efi'ect of 
 their practice upon them proves that the stone of which they 
 are composed would not resist a lengthened and continuous fire 
 at close quarters. In other words, if a line-of-battle ship could 
 get alongside without being sent to the bottom, she would soon 
 rip up Fort Alexander, or any fort, such as Fort Constantine, 
 built of similar material. The enemy suspect that the French 
 are making a very heavy battery behind Fort Alexander, and 
 they shell frequently in that direction ; and knowing the posi- 
 tion of their mortar-battery behind Fort Nicholas, they direct a 
 pretty constant vertical fire on the guard behind that work. 
 When their shot hit the stones at the angle of the fort, they gene- 
 rally split and break the outer masonry. The stones are of 
 white freestone, cut in long parallelograms, and if a shot strikes 
 the middle of a block it generally splits it right through, so that 
 a few heavy projectiles at any one point would speedily destroy 
 all cohesion, and crumble the wall into a breach. Still, the forts 
 ftre beautifully built, and are of very great strength, notwith- 
 standing the inferior nature of the building material. They are 
 all i-eared upon capacious vaults of solid masonry, and the case- 
 mates, curtains, and parapets are of prodigious thickness, and of 
 very superior finish and workmanship. As the debris of the 
 place is cleared away, it is seen that the ruin and injury of our 
 bombardment were not so great and complete as we imagined. 
 The Catherine Boulevard enables us to judge of what it once 
 was, and the cathedral, two or three churches, and the theatre 
 could be readily restored to their proper uses ; indeed, I have 
 heard that the French have celebrated high mass more than 
 once in the former edifice. 
 
 A boat from the " St. Jean d'Acre," under the charge of 
 Lieutenant Lewis Reynolds, was sent round from Kamiesch 
 some time ago to the harbour, and is now employed, whenever
 
 PARLEYS WITH THE KUSSIAXS. 245 
 
 a flag of truce appears, in communicating with the Russians. 
 It was at tlie request of Prince (Jortschakoff that this was done. 
 The Prince, being pleased to consider that the south side of 
 Sehastopol belongs to the allies, sent to suggest that it would 
 save much time and inconvenience if a boat was kept in the 
 Dockyard harbour, near Fort Paul, so as to be ready to go out 
 with or for communications in cases of armistice, several of 
 which, relating to prisoners' property, exchange of letters, &c., 
 have recently taken place. The Russians always come across 
 in very well-appointed, handsome boats, manned with picked 
 crews of well-di'essed, clean-looking sailors, and the officers sent 
 on the duty are generally very accomplished linguists and 
 agreeable men. They are, however, very strict and very sharp 
 in their practice as regards flags of truce, being extremely 
 jealous of the smallest informality, and quick in firing the in- 
 stant the flag of truce is hauled down. They insist that the 
 Malakhoff was taken by a surprise, and that all the garrison, 
 except those who could get into the casemates, had gone oS" to 
 enjoy their meals and midday siesta when the French rushed in ; 
 but they admit that the town was getting too hot to hold them, 
 and that our fii'e was too heavy to be much longer withstood. 
 Had they possessed mortars with which to reply to our vertical 
 fire, they say they would have held out for another year at least, 
 " but the army of defence, with a deep seaway m its rear, with 
 one flank menaced by a fleet and the other by the works at 
 Inkermann, so that in reality its centre only was efiective, could 
 not strategically resist an army of attack which had such advan- 
 tages of position." Our neglected siege-train and Artillery and 
 Naval Brigade, according to the Russians, took the town, as by 
 their fire they made its defence impossible. During the last 
 two bombardments from French and English, the garrison "lived 
 in holes like rats," and the telling-oflf of reliefs and moving of 
 reserves were always attended with danger and certain loss. It 
 is to be hoped that our men in camp at Aldershott and the 
 Curragh will not be merely drilled and manoeuvi'ed, but that 
 they will be taught " to work" above all things. As labourers, 
 our soldiers are not equal to the French, and are far inferior to 
 the Russians. Our Engineers complain that the only regiments 
 which work well are the Guards and some of the Rifle Brigade, 
 and that the Irish and Scotch regiments do not know how to 
 handle the tools used in military works. In fact, only those 
 soldiers who were originally agricultural labourers, and were
 
 24:6 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 tlierefore used to the spade and pick, can get througli tlie 
 labours usually required for the construction of approaches or 
 defences. Herdsmen, gillies, sword-dancers, huntsmen, deer- 
 stalkers, mowers, hodmen, mechanics, and town labourers, how- 
 ever strong, active, and willing, and wherever they come fi-om, 
 cannot use the implements which are put into their hands by 
 the Sappers and Miners, and it would be exceedingly desirable 
 to teach men who may be employed in such works how to work, 
 and what to do with the tools. Was it old Turenne who said, 
 " more battles wei-e won by the spade than by the musket" ? 
 We win all ours by the bayonet and musket alone, and we cer- 
 tainly suffered great loss and were exposed to much disadvantage 
 from not being able to approach within 200 yards of the Redan, 
 whereas the French got up to the abattis of the Malakhoff, and 
 within 25 metres of the parapet. Our gallant allies could, 
 indeed, spare more men to work, and could afford to lose more 
 in the approaches, than we could. That their labom-s were not 
 light, or their casualties trifling, we may infer from the fact 
 that they lost no less than 64 officers of Engineers in the siege, 
 of whom 30 were killed. 
 
 And here I may say that some feeling of chagrin has been 
 created among those noble and trusty allies of ours who came to 
 our aid at Inkermann, that they have not received the clasp for 
 that great action. This acknowledgment of their services on 
 the occasion they were somehow or other led to expect. I have 
 often heard their officers declare what satisfaction and pride they 
 should feel in exhibiting an English decoration on their breasts. 
 Their order of the Legion of Honour is filled by selection, and 
 not by a wholesale pitchforking of classes ; every man of equal 
 rank, no matter what his merit or demerit, gets the same 
 reward as his neighbour. There is no doubt that immense 
 satisfaction would be caused in both armies if an intercliange of 
 honours could be arranged between the two nations. A strong 
 hope and often-expressed belief that such an arrangement would 
 be effected will meet a painful disappointment should it not be 
 carried into effect. 
 
 General Simpson's despatch respecting the operations on the 
 8th of September has given considerable satisfaction to the 
 army. It is said to be judicious and well written, though very 
 concise, and it afibrds evidence that the Commander-in-Chief can 
 rise above the very dead level of the uninteresting General Orders 
 which will make the records of this army intolerable to the
 
 OFFICIAL LITERATURE. 247 
 
 patience and not easy to the dig^estion of tlie most resolute and 
 hardy antiquarian in times to come. Who will venture to pub- 
 lish our past despatches ? And yet we have notable penmen at 
 head-quarters, who are at their vocation night and day, and who 
 injure their temper and manners by incessant scrivenery, the 
 results of wliich are buried in the pigeon-holes of Whitehall, 
 never to be seen even in the lively pages of a blue-book. The 
 French authorities enter less into detail and exhibit less pen- 
 manship, and are, perhaps, therefore, more polite and affable to 
 strangers than our own good gentleman. If an Englishman 
 presents himself at the French head-quarters, or makes any 
 application in writing for passes to the trenches, or such slight 
 facilities, he is presented with them at once, in a manner which 
 enhances the value of the obligation. Should he write to the 
 Adjutant-General of the English army, the chances are that he 
 will never receive any answer to his letter, although his request 
 be of the smallest kind, unless indeed he happens to belong to 
 the dii minores, or possesses such recommendations as have full 
 consideration in the eyes of that dignitary of the army. 
 
 In fact, poor Colonel Pakenham has so much writing to do 
 that he cannot spare time to reply to the most civil communica- 
 tion in the world. I recommend amatem-s and travelling gentle- 
 men, unless they belong to the privileged class of which I have 
 spoken, not to trouble him. Procul ! oh ! procul este profani. 
 You wUl get short Pythonic answers — it is well if they are 
 nothing worse — to your verbal applications, and no reply at all 
 to your letters. However, Colonel Pakenham is believed to be 
 a good man of business, " a rare arithmetician," and a subtle 
 " totter up" in addition ; he has industrious habits, is of a seden- 
 tary disposition, has a studious turn in the matter of returns, 
 regimental reports, and such-like Uterature, and is so far a most 
 excellent and useful Adjutant-General. What does the anny 
 want more ? 
 
 And now — even now — It is not too late to reproduce a 
 despatch of a very different character from those we read of in 
 the London Gazette or in General Orders. It is, indeed, no less 
 applicable to this army, now about to winter in the Crimea, than 
 it was to another army when it was written, and the truths it 
 contains are as patent and as pregnant with value and interest as 
 they were nearly half a century ago. The writer says, — 
 
 " I have no hesitation in attributing these evils — of irregu- 
 larities, of bad cooking, and of want of discipline — to the habi-
 
 248 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 tual inattention of the officers of regiments to their duty, as 
 prescribed by the standing regulations of the service, and by the 
 orders of this army. 
 
 " I am far from questioning the zeal, still less the gallantry 
 and spirit, of the officers of the army ; and I am quite certain 
 that if their minds can be convinced of the necessity of minute 
 and constant attention to understand, recollect, and carry into 
 execution the orders which have been issued for the performance 
 of their duty, and that the strict performance of this duty is 
 necessary to enable the army to serve the country as it ought to 
 be served, they will in future give their attention to these 
 points. 
 
 " Unfortunately, the inexperience of the officers of the army 
 has induced many to consider that the period during which an 
 army is on service is one of relaxation from all rule, instead of 
 being, as it is, the period during which, of all others, every rule 
 for the regulation and control of the conduct of the soldier, for 
 the inspection and care of his arms, ammunition, accoutrements, 
 necessaries, and field equipments, and his horse and horse 
 appointments — for the receipt, and issue, and care of his provi- 
 sions, and the regulation of all that belongs to his food and the 
 forage for his horse — must be most strictly attended to by the 
 officers of his company or troop, if it is intended that an army 
 — a British army in particular — shall be brought into the field 
 of battle in a state of efficiency to meet the enemy on the day of 
 trial. 
 
 " These are the points, then, to which I most earnestly 
 entreat you to turn your attention and the attention of the 
 officers of the regiments under your command — Portuguese as 
 well as English — during the period in which it may be in my 
 power to leave the troops in their cantonments. The command- 
 ing officers of regiments must enforce the orders of the army 
 regarding the constant inspection and superintendence of the 
 officers over the conduct of the men of their companies in their 
 cantonments ; and they must endeavour to inspire the non-com- 
 missioned officers with the sense of their situation and authority; 
 and the non-commissioned officers must be forced to their duty, by 
 being constantly under the view and superintendence of the 
 officers. By these means, the frequent and discreditable recourse 
 to the authority of the provost, and to punishments by the sen- 
 tence of courts-martial, will be prevented, and the soldiers will 
 not dare to commit the ottenccs and outraires of which there ai'e
 
 Wellington's circular. 249 
 
 too many complaints, when they well know that their officers and 
 their non-commissioned officers have their eyes and attention 
 turned towards them. 
 
 " The commanding officers of regiments must likewise enforce 
 the orders of the army regarding the constant, real inspection 
 of the soldiers' arms, ammunition, accoutrements, and neces- 
 saries, in order to prevent at all times the shameful waste of 
 ammunition, and the sale of that article and of the soldiers' 
 necessaries. With this view both should be inspected daily. 
 
 " In regard to the food of the soldier, I have frequently 
 observed and lamented in the late campaign the facility and 
 celerity with which the French soldiers cooked in comparison 
 with those of our army. 
 
 " The cause of this disadvantage Is the same with that of every 
 other description — the want of attention of the officers to the 
 orders of the army, and the conduct of their men, and the con- 
 sequent want of authority over their conduct. Certain men of 
 each company should be appointed to cut and bring in wood ; 
 others to fetch water, and others to get the meat, &c., to be 
 cooked ; and it would soon be found that, if this practice were 
 daily enforced, and a particular hour for seeing the dinners and 
 for the men dining named, as it ought to be, equally as for 
 parade, the cooking would no longer require the inconvenient 
 length of time which it has lately been found to take, and the 
 soldiers would not be exposed to the privation of their food at 
 the moment at which the army might be engaged in operations 
 with the enemy. 
 
 " You will, of course, give your attention to the field exercise 
 and discipline of the troops. It is very desirable that the 
 soldiers should not lose the habits of marching, and the division 
 should march ten or twelve miles twice in each week, if the 
 weather should permit, and the roads in the neighbourhood of 
 the cantonments of the division should be dry." 
 
 Now, the writer of this " offensive production " was Arthur 
 Duke of Wellington, and it is an extract of a circular addi-essed 
 to all commanding officers of divisions and brigades, dated 
 Frenada, Nov. 28, 1812. It was not the Duke's province to 
 inquire into the reason of " this want of attention to the men " 
 of which he complains ; but in a service in which there are only 
 two captains in a regiment, and all the other officers except the 
 colonel and major are boys who have seen but a few weeks' 
 service, intent only on champagne, tarts, good grub, dog-hunts,
 
 250 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 and horse-races, it is not wonderful if the same thing occurs in 
 the Crimea in Novemher, 1855. Sjjero meliora. It would he 
 unjust to say that the British soldier has not admirable raw 
 material provided by Government for him now, and many regi- 
 ments possess most excellent cooking-houses, built under the 
 direction of their officers. I was particularly struck by the 
 nvimber and neatness of those of the 48th Regiment, and poor 
 Colonel Unett, of the 19th, worked very hard in erecting some 
 excellent kitchens for his regiment, and even invented a plan of 
 baking bricks, manufactured out of the earth in the neighbour- 
 hood, for the purpose. There is really very little news. General 
 Simpson has refused the sabre of honour presented to him by 
 the Sultan, as well as the Order of the Medjidie, till he receives 
 the command and permission of Her Majesty to accept and 
 wear them. 
 
 The preparations for the expedition, of which I sent you a 
 few details, continue. All the French and English troops are 
 embarked. General Vivian, of the Turkish Contingent, with 
 some officers of his staff, is on board the " Indian," but it is sup- 
 posed he is only waiting for a passage to Eupatoria. where a 
 portion of his force has already landed. The Light Cavalry 
 ^Brigade, under Lord George Paget — the 4th, 13th, 12th, and 
 I7th — will proceed at once in the same direction, to reinforce 
 the French cavalry, consisting of the 8th Hussars, 6th Dragoons, 
 aoid the 8th Dragoons. 
 
 The secret expedition will leave Kamiesch to-morrow at 
 noon. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI, 
 
 The Highlanders under orders for embarkation — Departure of the Light 
 Cavalry — Expeditions the order of the day — Freedom of the army 
 from disease — Second summer — Probable destination of the expedition 
 — Peaceful toils — The Russian fire — Domestic arrangements — Hutting 
 and road-making — Dwellers in a camp — Drainage — Promotion of 
 Colonel Windham— Lord William Paulet — Miss Nightingale — Expec- 
 tation that the Russians will evacuate the North side — Conflagrations — 
 Counter orders — Lord Panmure's telegraphic message — The expe- 
 dition countermanded — Direction of the campaign by the home autho- 
 rities, 
 
 Sebastopol, October 15. 
 
 A PLEASANTEE spot for a camp, in such sunny and delightful 
 
 weather as we at present enjoy, could hardly be found, than the 
 
 slope beyond the village of Kamara, on which the Highlanders
 
 HEALTH OP THE ARJIY. 251 
 
 have pitclied their tents, and whither materials for huts have 
 already been sent in large quantities. Great, nevertheless, was 
 the satisfaction of that gallant Division — now so long inactive — 
 on learning two daj's ago that it was under orders to embark 
 for Eupatoria. It was said the embarkation would take place 
 to-day, but it will hardly be until Wednesday. Transports are 
 reported to be wanting, but that is improbable, for Balaklava 
 harbour is crowded with shipping to such an extent, that vessels 
 which arrived on Friday morning had not obtained admission 
 yesterday. It takes a little time to get the necessary land 
 transport supplies, baggage, &c., on board, especially when, as in 
 this case, the troops are ordered to take witli them as much of 
 their heavy baggage as they can. From this we infer that they 
 will probably winter at Eupatoria, and not necessarily be im- 
 mediately engaged in active operations. On the other hand, 
 the departure of the Light Cavahy, under Lord George Paget, 
 would lead us to believe that fighting is meant. There can 
 hardly be an intention of keeping them at Eupatoria all the 
 winter, since stables are now in course of erection near Scutari, 
 and on an island in the Sea of Marmora, which will be amply 
 sufiicient to receive the whole of our cavalry and horse-artillery. 
 It has, indeed, been positively stated that these are to be 
 quartered there until spring. A large number of French 
 (12,000 or 15,000) are to embark at Kamiesch, where, according 
 to one rumour, the Highlanders are also to embark, as it is the 
 nearest port for Eupatoria. Expeditions are quite the fashion 
 of the moment, and had we the prospect of two or three months' 
 fine weather, we should be bound to suppose that an important 
 combined operation was about to be entered upon. But, judging 
 from precedent and probability, two or three weeks must bring 
 the campaign to a close. At present the weather is all that 
 could be deshed. The sun, which renders that little kettle, 
 Balaklava harbour, still oppressively hot, is tempered on the 
 heights by refreshing breezes ; the ground is everywhere dry — 
 the atmosphere pure and healthy. Never was our army, since 
 its first landing, so free from disease as at the present moment. 
 But this second summer may any day be brought to a close, 
 and exchanged for a season of rain and tempest. It will be 
 imusual, not to say extraordinary, if such be not the case early 
 in November. Brief time, therefore, remains for the expeditions 
 to carry out their objects, whatever those be ; but there will be 
 abundant leisure, when the rain descends in the cascade-like
 
 252 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 fashion common in the Crimea, and the wind shakes our huts 
 and blows our tents about our ears, for those in authority to 
 regret the months wasted after the fall of Southern Sebas- 
 topol. 
 
 The five regiments of cavalry (4th and 13th Light Dragoons, 
 12th and 17th Lancers, and Carbineers), the Highlanders, and 
 12,000 French, are believed to be all bound for Eupatoria. 
 Captain Montague's company of Sappers and Miners forms part 
 of the expedition. 
 
 This camp, recently the nearest to the briskest part of the 
 siege, and into which Russian projectiles not unfrequently 
 obtruded, is now tranquil and laborious, like some new settle- 
 ment in Australian bush or America's back woods. Peaceful 
 toil has succeeded the din of war. Except the cannonade from 
 the north side, which is at times rather boisterous, not a sound 
 IS heard that indicates the vicinity of a foe. The Russians, as if 
 to vent their rage for their recent reverse, continue to pound 
 away at intervals at the ruins of the town they have been forced 
 to abandon. They do little harm to us, and might as well save 
 their ammunition, which they often condescend to expend even 
 on a single soldier, of whom they may catch a glimse, wandering 
 among the broken walls or across the plain. Yesterday our old 
 friend Bilbouquet, long silent, opened his mouth, and sent a 
 couple of shot either at the works by Traktir Bridge, or at 
 something he saw moving in the valley below his muzzles. To- 
 day the Russian guns are nearly mute, and the stillness con- 
 trasts strikingly with the uproar we were here so long accus- 
 tomed to. The silence would be quite solemn did not the tap 
 of the builder's hammer replace in some degi'ee the crack of the 
 rifle, and the rumble of carts the roar of the cannon. The 
 English army, convinced that it is to winter in its present camp, 
 has set seriously to work to guard itself from the inclement 
 weather from which it last year suffered so grievously, and to 
 make itself as comfortable as possible. Officers and men are 
 busy with domestic arrangements. Hutting and road-making 
 are the occupations of the hour, and rapid is the progress made 
 in both. Whenever we abandon this encampment we shall leave 
 almost a town behind us. Strong wooden huts are springing 
 up on every side, and here and there a solid stone dwelling is 
 in course of construction. Lots of chimneys will smoke this 
 Christmas on the heights before Sebastopol, and, doubtless, 
 many a good dinner will be eaten on that day, and many a glass
 
 PLENTY AND COJIFOKT. 253 
 
 emptied to those memories and hopes of home which are the 
 sole consolation for the many privations that must be endured, 
 even under the most favourable circumstances, by the dwellers 
 in a camp. It is now pleasant to contrast the sufferings of last 
 winter — the cold, exposure, famine, and want of clothing then 
 endured — with the prospect of plenty and almost of comfort 
 during that which approaches, and to observe the activity that 
 prevails in endeavours to make the most of the ample means 
 supplied. The necessary roads progress rapidly towards com- 
 pletion. Drainage is not neglected, and, indeed, it is a question 
 whether it be not almost overdone. Some of the ditches, dug along 
 each side of roads, and around stores, hospital huts, and other 
 establishments, are of formidable width and depth, and of a dark 
 night are likely to prove dangerous pitfalls to wanderers through 
 the camp, especially if they have been taking "just one more 
 tumbler" in the quarters of some hospitable friend. On the 
 other hand, where the rains in this place frequently descend in 
 torrents, and while the water sweeps down the slopes in sheets 
 and Hoods, deep drainage is essential if we are not to live in a 
 quagmii'e, as we hitherto have done as often as the weather has 
 been wet. To the wholesome labour and activity that now pre- 
 vail, as well as to tlie fineness of the weather, the healthy con- 
 dition of the army is doubtless due. 
 
 Last night's General Orders contained full confirmation of 
 news that had reached us a few days previously — namely, the 
 promotion of Colonel Windham to the rank of Major-General 
 " for distinguished services in the field," and his appointment to 
 the command of the Fourth Division, with which he served as 
 Assistant-Quartermaster-General until he was named (less than 
 two months ago) to the command of that brigade of the Second 
 Division, at the head of which he fought so gallantly on the 8th 
 of September. The fiat of the Horse Guards is in this instance 
 stamped and confirmed by the approbation and applause of the 
 army. Envy alone could grudge to General Windham the rank 
 to which his judgment, coolness, and intrepidity, so fully entitle 
 him. 
 
 Lord William Paulet has assumed the command of the 2nd 
 brigade of the Fourth Division, and occupies General Bentinck's 
 old quarters on Cathcart's-hill, where, unlike the previous 
 tenant, he may dwell quietly without risk of a cannon-ball 
 plumping into his soup-tureen or tumbling into his bed. Miss 
 Nightingale is at the Castle HospitaL
 
 254 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 Tuesday Morning. 
 
 Late last ni;^]it a memorandum was issued, to the effect, that 
 from to-day (the 16th) until further orders, the whole of the 
 ai'my should be under arms at half-past 5 a.m., and remain 
 until dismissed by generals commanding divisions. Working 
 parties, for railways, roads, &c., will come on duty at 9 instead 
 of 8 A.M., this delay is granted in order to give the men time to 
 breakfast and refresh themselves after the turn-out. There 
 seems to be some expectation that the Eussians intend evacuat- 
 ing the north side. They yesterday made a great fire on their 
 left of Fort Catherine. It is supposed they were burning stores. 
 They had a large depot of coal just about the place where the 
 fire was. On Saturday night the reflection of an extensive con- 
 flagration was visible fi-om the camp, and might be still more 
 plainly seen from higher points in this neighbourhood. It was 
 in the direction of Bakshiserai. We are still in ignorance of 
 the cause. 
 
 The Highlanders have received counter orders. Some say 
 that the 2nd and 3rd Divisions will go in their stead ; others 
 that the expedition is entirely abandoned, except as regards the 
 cavalry, which have actually gone, that is to say — all, or the 
 greater part. 
 
 12 O'CLOCK. 
 
 The expedition to Eupatoria has been countermanded, in con- 
 sequence of a telegi'aphic message from Lord Panmure, to the 
 effect that the Russians meditated an attack. Inkermann is the 
 quarter in which it seems to be expected. It is difficult to say 
 what the Russians think to gain by attacking vts now. The fire 
 seen on Saturday night is believed to have been at a village 
 about three miles on this side of Bakshiserai. Such, at least, 
 is the result of the calculations made by our engineers, who 
 took an observation at head-quarters and another at Balaklava. 
 They have thus ascertained the spot with tolerable accuracy. 
 
 Of the expedition to Eupatoria the following troops are 
 countermanded — viz., the Highlanders, two batteries of artillery, 
 and the company of Sappers. The cavah-y has sailed. I have 
 not yet heard whether they are to proceed, or whether they will 
 be brought back. They were ordered to embark several days 
 before there was any question here of sending other troops.
 
 NEWS FROM KINBUEN. 255 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVII. 
 
 News of the Kinbum expedition — The accuracy of Lord Panmure's infor- 
 mation, rt'hitive to a projected attack by the Kussiaiis, questioned — 
 Another telegraphic report — Xo signs of a Russian retreat — Our inaction 
 — Sebastopol — Dangers of visitiiig tlie town — Disabled cannon — For- 
 midable appearance of the Redan and the Malakhoff — Russian hiding 
 places — Sebastopol literally riddled with shot — Strange effects of the 
 bombardment — News of the repulse of tlie Russians at Kars — Tho 
 victory at Kars and the capture of Kinburn great triumphs — Why was 
 not more attempted ? — A head to devise wanting — Rumours of a Russian 
 advance — French review — Labours of Mr. Doyne, superintendent of 
 the Army Works Corps — New roads — Mr. Doyne's plan for stations 
 and police — Review of the French army — The Imperial Guard- 
 Grenadiers, Chasseurs, Zouaves, Engineers, and Artillery of the Guard 
 in brilliant array — Admiration of the English officers for the Chasseurs 
 and Zouaves — Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Bentinck's testimony to 
 the good conduct and services of the gallant Fourth Division — Irre- 
 gularity in the delivery of newspapers by the post. 
 
 Sebastopol, October 20. 
 Waudebeks abroad are genei'ally longer in giving news of their 
 whereabouts than anxious or impatient friends at home think 
 reasonable and right, and accordingly when eight, nine, ten, and 
 even eleven days elapsed without intelligence arriving from the 
 Kinburn expedition, all wondered and many were uneasy. General 
 Simpson being among the latter. Yesterday morning, however, 
 we were all relieved and gladdened by learning the capture of 
 Kinburn and the blockade of the Dnieper, the news of which 
 came by telegraph via Varna. We have few details, but the 
 Russians apparently offered considerable resistance before sur- 
 rendering. In General Orders last night the little that has been 
 ascertained was communicated to the army, and before this letter 
 reaches England, you will probably know much more on the 
 subject than we do at present. Here, at Sebastopol, nothing has 
 been going on, and, in the absence of events, we are left to 
 reflect upon the past, and to speculate on the future. In the 
 hasty lines I added to my last letter, just before post hour, I 
 mentioned that the projected expedition to Eupatoria had been 
 given up, an attack upon our own lines being expected. Accord- 
 ingly, since then we have been turning out before daybreak 
 every morning, and occasionally at other hours also. Late on. 
 Wednesday night the reserve ammunition was warned to be 
 ready early in the morning, as there was every probability of 
 an attack. On Thursday forenoon the French were formed up
 
 256 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 in the Valley of the Tchernaya, awaiting a foe who came not. 
 Yesterday, about noon, movements of troops were made ; and it 
 was reported that large masses of Russians were visible. There 
 is much note of preparation and the frequent clash of arms, but 
 nevertheless many here are of opinion — some of them persons 
 whose opinion has weight — that our Muscovite friends have not 
 the remotest idea of attacking us, and that Lord Panmure's 
 information to a contrary effect, derived from Berlin, proceeds, 
 in fact, from St. Petersburg, or at any rate from friends of our 
 enemies, who desire to prevent us from taking advantage of what 
 little fine weather remains to undertake fre;jh expeditions. If 
 this be the case, how heartily the Russians and their underhand 
 favourers must have laughed when they heard of the trip to 
 Eupatoria having been abandoned ! On Wednesday the telegraph 
 brought fresh information, originating from Vienna, to our head- 
 quarters, which was to the effect that the Russians were about 
 to abandon the north side. At present there are no visible 
 signs of such approaching evacuation, nor is there any probable 
 reason to assign for it, excepting one, which is, that the Russians 
 find it impossible to supply their army during the winter. On 
 this point opinions differ widely. Some think that the Russians 
 will experience no difficulty in bringing enough supplies by the 
 road from Perekop ; others doubt that road being sufficient, and 
 are also of opinion that the Russian means of transport will run 
 short. It is pretty certain that no large depot of provisions 
 exists near at hand, and also that none ever existed, not even at 
 the commencement of the siege. Last winter the Russians, — 
 who doubtless never contemplated a siege of anything like such 
 duration, nor probably an attack at all by land, and had made 
 sure of speedily beating off" any naval force brought against 
 their great fortress — had a constant stream of supplies pouring 
 into the town. It may be urged that they have taken advantage 
 of the summer to lay in stores ; but the drought of that season 
 is as unfavourable to such an operation as the wet and cold and 
 heavy roads of winter ; and, miless by camels, which can do but 
 little, transport continues very difficult. Taking a fair and un- 
 prejudiced view of all the chances and probabilities, I do not 
 think they can have done more than make the supply meet the 
 demand ; and even that, we have reason to believe, at times but 
 scantily. Their loss of beasts of draught and buiden must 
 have been prodigious, and the wear and tear of their ill-made 
 carts proportionately large. The chief motive for striving to
 
 A CURIOUS SPECTACLE. 257 
 
 retain their present position probably is that, in the event of 
 negotiations for peace being carried on this winter, these would 
 be conducted more favourably to them whilst they still have a 
 footing in the Crimea than if they had moved out of it, leaving 
 us to garrison Sebastopol and Simphcropol, and, if we chose, to 
 transport our army to the Danube and to Asia. 
 
 In Sebastopol itself there is nothing new. The Russians 
 continue firing at the town, with little reply from the French. 
 They tire principally at Sebastopol Proper, but now and then 
 drop a shot or shell into the Karabelnaia, and sometimes take 
 the flagstaff on the Malakhoff for their mark. It is difficult 
 to understand why we spare them so much, unless it be that we 
 expect them soon to walk away, and leave us their north side 
 forts in good order and condition, which would be expecting 
 rather too much. There can be no difficulty in forming batteries 
 of heavy guns, with which to knock some, at least, of their 
 defences about their ears. Outside the town the French are 
 hard at work levelling their siege works, filling up trenches, &c., 
 though why they should take that trouble it is hard to say, 
 unless they contemplate the probability of Sebastopol being 
 garrisoned by the allies, and they, in their turn, besieged by the 
 Russians. Visitors to the exterior works continue to be occa- 
 sionally pretty numerous ; fewer persons go into the town, the 
 fire, which sometimes is really heavy, rendering a visit un- 
 pleasant. A more curious spectacle is assuredly nowhere to be 
 found than in the space comprised between the lines where our 
 batteries once stood and the harbour of Sebastopol. The ground 
 in parts is literally paved with shot sunk in the earth, above 
 which the upper surfiice scarcely rises ; there are ditches and 
 trenches in which they lie as thick as apples in a basket ; in 
 some places numbers of them have been buried. You see them 
 of ever}' size, from the huge 68-pounder down to the diminutive 
 grape — ^jolly little fellows, of a pleasant vinous appellation, but 
 very nasty to run against as they are passing through the air. 
 As to the fragTnents of shell, you might macadamize roads with 
 them — jagged, rusty bits of iron, infinitely various in size and 
 form ; one thinks, as one looks at them, how many a stout and 
 gallant fellow received his quietus from some of them before 
 they fell to the ground after their diverging upward flight. 
 Then you come upon ill-treated cannon, some trunnionless, 
 others with muzzles knocked off", some burst into two or three 
 pieces, and others bearing indentations as from the hammer of a 
 
 VOL. II. S
 
 258 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 Cyclops. You walk up into the Kedan — into tlie Malakhoff, if 
 tlie French sentries object not — and you marvel at the huge 
 dimensions of those famous works, and feel more surprised at 
 their having ever become ours than at their having so long 
 resisted the utmost efforts of English and French. They are 
 iiideed a medley of enormous earthworks, huge lumps of stone, 
 heaps upon heaps of shot and broken shell and damaged guns, 
 everything rugged and battered — a work of giants reduced to 
 chaos. And then the gloomy, fetid bomb-proofs, in which for so 
 long a time the stubborn Russians Im-ked — they are wretched 
 holes, worse than most dungeons. A minutely accurate drawing 
 of as much of the Malakhoif or the Redan as an artist could 
 embrace at a view, would give a better idea of the natm-e of the 
 difficulties which the besiegers had to surmount, than any 
 attempted sketch of the fight. 
 
 The state of the town itself is the best proof of the enormous 
 loss the Russians must have suffered during this long and 
 eventful siege, and especially towards the close, when no part of 
 the south side seems to have escaped our projectiles. The place 
 is literally riddled with shot. You come upon all kinds of 
 fantastical shattering — houses still standing Avhich, according 
 to all one's previous notions of support and balance, ought to 
 fall to the ground ; walls with huge holes through them ; roofs 
 in rags ; and everywhere, within and without the place, the 
 ground is ploughed up into great holes, by the bui'sting of 
 shells. 
 
 The news of the repulse, and the very heavy loss sustained by 
 the Russians at Kars, is fully confirmed. The English officers 
 there are said to have highly distmguished themselves. This 
 severe check, and the capture of Kinburn forts and the garrison, 
 must be a great discouragement to the enemy. The success of 
 the expedition makes one doubly regret that more has not been 
 undertaken, and that so little profit has been made of the 
 six weeks that have now elapsed since the capture of Sebastopol. 
 It is manifest that we have ample means at om* command, and 
 that whatever is ordered, withm reason, will be triumphantly 
 executed by the zeal, skill, and courage of our officers and men, 
 even though, as at Kinburn, our line of battle-ships have to be 
 taken where there are but two feet of water under their keels. 
 What is wanting is, a head to devise and decision and prompti- 
 tude in command. It were unfair not to make due allowances 
 for some difficulties and obstacles of which we know notliing.
 
 THE ARMY WORKS CORPS. 259 
 
 but we should be over-indulgent and over-credulous if we 
 admitted that all had been done as it ought. 
 
 12 O'CLOCK. 
 
 The enemy is said to be clearing roads through the brush- 
 wood down from Mackenzie's Farm, and to have planted four 
 guns to command the causeway across the marsh at the mouth 
 of the Tchernaya. This looks as if tliey contemplated an attack 
 in force along our line, but I persist in thinking that their 
 apparent preparations for action are made merely for the purpose 
 of" deceiving us. The Russians are the most patient and 
 laborious people in the world for nises de guerre of that 
 kind. 
 
 The French hold a grand review at two this afternoon, in the 
 
 plain by Kadikoi. They are now marching down — Imperial 
 
 Guards, Zouaves, &c., all in fine order, and brilliant in 
 
 appearance. 
 
 Monday, October 22. 
 
 Mr, Doyne, the indefatigable superintendent of the Army 
 Works Corps, proceeds vigorously with his labom-s. Roads are 
 being opened out in all directions. There are about twenty 
 miles in progress. The pains that are taking with their con- 
 straction and its excellence appeared almost superfluous to some 
 of the military bigwigs here, but before we have got through 
 our four months' winter they wiU probably change their opinion 
 on that head. The number of men employed is very consider- 
 able. To-morrow 8600 soldiers go on work, besides 1000 
 Croats and the Army Works Corps, which, notwithstanding its 
 losses from sickness, still nmnbers 1000 or 1100 men, and 
 expects to be reinforced from England to the extent of some 
 himdred more. The want of proper system and organization 
 which has been so often and deplorably exposed during this 
 war and in this army, is here again visible. With diflerent 
 ai'rangements half the men, perhaps a quarter of them, could do 
 the work of the whole 10,000, and probably do it better, 
 because they would be less crowded. The men employed to 
 work should be camped near their work till it is completed, 
 instead of having to march long distances to and fro. Thus, 
 for instance, a regiment of the Third Division, at the furthest 
 extremity of the camp, marches down daily to work at Balaklava, 
 retiu-ning, at night, daily performing a distance of nearly fifteen, 
 miles. Of com-se, this is just so much power of work taken out 
 of the men, and the army is now fvill of boys, whose immature 
 s2
 
 2G0 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 strength is not equal to a good hard day's work. It cannot, m 
 fact, be got out of them, even though they had not to walk 
 long distances to it. The only reason I can imagine for keep- 
 ing the men, as many of them are kept, so far from their work, 
 is, that if men go officers must go too, and we have all been 
 making ourselves too comfortable up here, willingly to shift our 
 quarters, even for a time. However, there is now no time to 
 fight the battle of better organization ; the most must be made 
 of what fine weather remains, and, in spite of all obstacles and 
 difficulties, the work, by dint of numbers, progresses briskly. 
 I hear that Mr. Doyne is desirous of having the roads divided 
 into miles, and at every mile to have a station-hut and a lamp, 
 with a corporal and two men to act as police. This is an ex- 
 cellent plan, which may be carried out with very little trouble 
 and expense, and will facilitate the portioning out of repairs and 
 work upon the roads. Truly, with all these civilized innova- 
 tions this nook of the Crimea will hardly know itself this winter. 
 We hear nothing but the clatter of the spade and the thud of 
 the pick, varied by frequent explosions of small mines, with 
 which builders and road-makers get rid of the blocks of rock 
 that impede their work, and on all sides one sees showers of 
 fragments driven into the air, sometimes to the height of 500 or 
 600 feet, by the force of the powder. Besides working at the 
 roads, parties are busy at various small jobs, clearing wells, &c. 
 Water is again getting scarce, and, in the prevision of a possible 
 continuance of the present dry weather, no large quantities are 
 allowed to be taken from the tanks, except by order from the 
 Quartermaster-General's department. 
 
 As regards military operations there is literally nothing 
 worth recording since my last letter. The Russians remain 
 very quiet, and so do we. There is not much firing from the 
 north side ; now and then some artillery officer, as if suddenly 
 exasperated, jumps up in a fury, and fires half-a-dozen mortars 
 at once ; but, as far as I can see, the French are not much 
 annoyed by this, and scarcely take the trouble to reply. In the 
 cavalry plain on Saturday afternoon our allies treated the Rus- 
 sians to a fine view of the Imperial Guard. General M'Mahon, 
 having assumed command of the corps d'armee of resen^e, 
 passed it in review. I rode down there after sending off my 
 despatch, and the sight was certainly very fine, and highly 
 creditable in every way to the French army. Grenadiers, 
 Chasseurs, Zouaves, Engineers, and Artillery of the Guard, were-
 
 BURIAL OF A SISTER OF CUARITY. 2GI 
 
 clrawn up across tho plain In a long lino, tlirouj^li wliicli tlie 
 general rode, followed by a numerous stall', to which Sir Coliu 
 Campbell and a large number of English officers had temporarily 
 attached themselves. The Grenadiers looked martial and im- 
 posing in their long blue coats and lofty bearskins, the Chasseurs 
 smart and active in their most excellent and service-like cos- 
 tume ; the Zouaves, as usual, picturesque and effective. Those 
 two corps, the Chasseurs and Zouaves, excite the warm admira- 
 tion of our officers, and are probably the most perfect soldiers in 
 the world — I do not mean in respect of fighting, although they 
 are no fools at that, but with respect to all their military 
 qualities and accomplishments, as well as to their di'ess and 
 equipment, their powers of marching and endurance — every- 
 thing, in short, that constitutes perfection in a soldier. They 
 really looked magnificent on Saturday — an honour to their 
 service, and a credit to the system and officers by which such 
 soldiers are made. The day was fine, and of course ponies were 
 put into requisition, and no end of scarlet jackets, interspersed 
 with the blue frocks of the cavalry, might be seen converging 
 from all points towards the parade-ground. 
 
 One of the Eoman-catholic Sisters of Charity, Sister Wini- 
 fred, has died of cholera, and was interred yesterday afternoon 
 in a grave dug high iip the hill behind the General Hospital at 
 Balaklava. She was followed to her last resting-place by the 
 sui'viving sisters and Miss Nightingale, also by a few officers 
 and a considerable number of soldiers and inmates of the hos- 
 pital. Service was performed over the grave according to the 
 Koman-catholic ritual. 
 
 Although transmitted somewhat after date, the following 
 testimony of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry FJentinck, to the 
 good conduct and services of the gallant Fourth Division during 
 the period he commanded it, will be read with interest, and 
 deserves publicity :— 
 
 Extract from Divisional Orders, datei> October 13. 
 
 " Private and important family affairs compelling Lieutenant- 
 General Sir H. Bentinck, K.C.B., to return to England, he can- 
 not relinquish the command of the Fourth Division without 
 expressing the great regret with which he does so. 
 
 ■' Although he has only had the command of it for the short 
 period of little more than four months (but during a very 
 eventful period), he has witnessed with great satisfaction the
 
 262 PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXPEDITION. 
 
 maimer in which all ranks have conducted most difficult, 
 arduous, and dangerous duties, with a spuit, energy, and good- 
 humour not to be surpassed. 
 
 " Having aheady expressed to Brigadier-General Gan'ett on his 
 quitting the division, and to Brigadier-General the Honom-ahle 
 A. Spencer and the First Brigade, on the morning of theii- 
 departure on another expedition, his opinion of their services, 
 it only remains for Sir Henry Bentinck to thank Colonel Wood, 
 the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Eoyal 
 Ai-tUlery, and the commanding officers, officers, and non-com- 
 missioned officers and men of the Second Brigade, for the 
 assistance they have at all times rendered him ; and he cannot 
 refk-ain from expressing his high approbation of the manner in 
 which all ranks have done their duty to their Queen and 
 country. 
 
 " The Lieutenant-General begs to thank the Staff Officers of 
 the division for theii" zeal and energy in the discharge of their 
 duties, and he cannot conclude without expressing also his satis- 
 faction at the manner in Avliich Dr. Roberts has performed his ; 
 to the Commissariat Department and Land TransjDort Corps of 
 the -division, to whom it is indebted for their supplies, and with 
 a regularity seldom equalled, and reflecting great credit on the 
 officers of those departments. 
 
 " The Lieutenant-Cieneral has only further, in taking leave of 
 the division, to wish it renewed glory, and he wUl always feel 
 the greatest interest in its proceedings generally, and of the 
 regiments composing it particularly. 
 " By order, 
 
 " G. Elliott, 
 "Deputy -Acting- Adjutant-General." 
 
 Complaints are stiU rife among the officers of this army con- 
 cerning the great irregularity with which they receive the news- 
 papers sent to them from England and elsewhere. I impute no 
 blame to any one, nor do I pretend to point out in which quarter 
 the fault lies, but the evil exists, and is great and glaring. 
 Making every allowance for irregularity on the part of senders, 
 for the possible neglect or dishonesty of servants and newsmen's 
 boys, there still remain numerous instances in which newspapers 
 have positively been sent, and as positively have never been 
 received. I hear daily grumbling on this account, proceeding 
 from persons who receive letters from their friends, informing
 
 POSTAL IRREGULARITIES. 263 
 
 them that by the same post papers are despatched to their 
 address, which never arrive. In short, complaint is general, and 
 I am convinced it is well founded, and that a great number of 
 papers, duly posted in England, do not come to hand in the 
 Crimea — at least, not to the hands of the persons for whom they 
 are destined. The ratio of loss is various ; some persons get on 
 an average two out of three of their papers, others one out of 
 two, others scarcely anj^ and I know cases in which officers are 
 writing to England to discontinue theii- subscription to news- 
 papers because they never receive them at all. The grievance 
 is a vexatious one. We are now on the verge of winter. Days 
 grow short, evenings long ; the rains are doubtless at hand ; 
 and parades and out-of-door exercise and occupation are hardly 
 to be thought of when the gromid becomes a morass. One of 
 the greatest pleasures of a man out here is the receipt of news- 
 papers from England ; and so you would say, could you behold 
 how the fortunate receivers of them are beset. It is a cruel 
 privation and disappointment when, by mismanagement in some 
 quarter or other, they do not arrive. The matter ought to be 
 seen to by all concerned. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXVin. 
 
 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 The fleets at the first rendezvous — The departure from Kamiesch — A 
 Black Sea fog — Orders and counter-orders — Danger of delay — Contrary 
 winds and frowning skies — Odessa garrison on the qui vive — Probable 
 results of an attack upon that town — Anticipations of future triumphs 
 — Object of the expedition to occupy the forts at the mouth of the 
 Dneiper — The forts Oczakoff and Kinburn described — Depth of water.^ 
 Nicholaieff — Kinburn Fort — The defences recently erected by the 
 enemy — Road between Kinburn and Cberson — Journal of events- 
 Imposing appearance of the expedition as it lay off Kazatch and 
 Kamiesch — French floating batteries — English portion of the expe- 
 dition — Line-of-battle ships — Steam frigates, sloops, &c. — Smaller 
 vessels — Mortar vessels — Steam tenders — Transports — Medical officers 
 on board the " Orient" — Commissariat department — Departure — Odessa 
 signalled as the rendezvous — Progress of the fleets — A collision. 
 
 At anchor, five miles off Odessa, October 13. 
 From causes which will be found at length in the diary I 
 append to this brief summary of our proceedings, it will be 
 seen that the admirals have hitherto been unable to leave their 
 rendezvous, and that for the last five or six days the people of 
 Odessa have been feasting their eyes to their hearts' content on
 
 264 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 this great armament. Possibly even his dread IMajesty the Czar 
 may have had an opportunity of comparing the ships of Sir 
 Edmund Lyons and of Admiral Bruat with those chefs-d'(xuv7'e 
 of his own which he is so solicitous about that he will not 
 allow them to leave Cronstadt. 
 
 Should the present weather hold, we shall leave in the course 
 of the afternoon for our second rendezvous and the scene of 
 operations, which is generally known to be Kinburn, or more 
 properly Kinbunm. 
 
 The fleet left Kamiesch on Sunday, and anchored off Odessa 
 on Monday afternoon. The object of selecting this bay aa the 
 rendezvous was to fill the minds of the authorities with appre- 
 hensions of a descent upon the town after a general bombardment, 
 and to induce them to withdrav/ their troops from the neighbour- 
 hood of the place we are going to attack. Tuesdaj' was spent 
 in preparations for the sailing of the expedition, the recon- 
 naissance and sounding of the banks off Kinburn having been 
 effected previously by the " Spitfire ;" and on Wednesday the 
 fleet would have got under way, so as to be in a position to 
 attack the forts at daybreak on Thursday morning, but un- 
 fortunately one of the dense fogs so common in the Black Sea 
 set in, and precluded any attempt to move for the day. 
 
 On Thursday, just as the steam gun-boats Were actually under 
 way, the wind began to rise, and the weather looked so threaten- 
 ing, that the Admirals ainiuUed by signal the orders for weighing. 
 The fleet rode at single anchor through a stiff breeze, and at 
 night the wind went down. 
 
 Friday was a beautiful day, and again the fleet received orders 
 to move, being preceded by the gun-boats, at one o'clock p.m., 
 but the wind rose, and the sky darkened, just as the latter were 
 weighing, and our departure was again postponed. 
 
 As I write, 12'30, this day (Saturday), the wind being light 
 ftom S.S.W., the barometer at 29"41, and the sky blue and 
 cloudy, with an appearance of fog to leeward, the signal has just 
 ieen made " Departure postponed for more settled weather." 
 
 In order to secure success to the expedition it is necessary to 
 have clear calm weather, and the least failure would give great 
 encouragement to the enemy, and cause us to lose possession of 
 a place of immense importance ; for there can be no doubt that 
 if the attention of the enemy were drawn to the locality by an 
 unsuccessful attack, they would turn aU their thoughts to it, and 
 the position could be made of immense strength by sand and
 
 OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION. 205 
 
 earth batteries, and would be fed by all the resources of Russia 
 Irom Nicholaieff and Clierson. The danfjer of these necessary 
 delays is, that the enemy may discover our design, and suspeot 
 that Odessa is not the object of attack. lie may observe that 
 we do not avail ourselves of the favourable weather for operating 
 against that city, for we could scarcely hope to have more 
 auspicious winds than we now enjoy, were the fleet ordered to go 
 in. It may also arouse his suspicions that we abstain from any 
 movement, while the coixst to tlie north and east is a lee shore. 
 The hovering of our light vessels oft" Cherson Bay may also have 
 given him some idea of the character of the expedition. The 
 garrison of ( )dessa, augmented by some columns which we have 
 seen, and by others which possibly came in without being 
 observed, is busily engaged in throwing up earthen batteries, 
 and in strengthening the defences of the fortress on the south- 
 eastern angle of the town. As for as can be ascertained, the 
 fortifications are not of overwhelming strength ; but the enemy 
 have erected some excellent casemated works,ncarly ajie}>r cVeau, 
 and several very wicked-looking stone forts. These could, no 
 doubt, all be battered about theii* eyes and ears, but the troops 
 would keep beyond the line of fire, and we could not land with 
 a small force in a large city defended by a numerous garrison ; 
 so the only results of an attack would be the destruction of 
 private propert}', the lives and limbs of people who must curse 
 this war every day of their lives, and the infliction of injury on 
 one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. 
 
 I trust that it will be my fate to record a glorious termination 
 to this year's campaign, and the revival of our old naval spirit 
 and of our naval success. The reduction and occupation of 
 Kinburn would be no mean or insignificant advantage, and, 
 imdertaken as it is by officers like Sir Edmund Lyons, Admii-als 
 Stewart and Bruat, and executed by this magnificent fleet, I 
 can only believe in one result — that we shall take the place 
 whenever we try to do so. 
 
 The expedition has never been intended to operate against 
 Odessa, but is to occupy the forts at the mouth of the Dnieper, 
 ■with a view to carry out plans against the enemy which It is not 
 now necessary to indicate more precisely. These forts are 
 Oczakoff" on the north, and Kinburn on the south side of the 
 entrance. The former is built upon a small promontory, called 
 Oczakoif Point ; the other is situate on a long narrow spit of 
 sand, which may be considered as the north-western termination
 
 266 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 of the extraordinary spit of Djarilgatch. The distance between 
 OczakofT and Kinburn, across the entrance to Cherson or Dnieper 
 Bay, does not exceed one and a quarter mile, and the passage up 
 the Dnieper to Nikolaev winds close to Kinbum, and is not more 
 than three-quai-ters of a mile from the forts. The fleet is now 
 anchored not less than thirty miles from these forts, but a very 
 extensive and dangerous sandbank, twenty miles long and of 
 varying breadth, lies between us and the entrance to the Bug 
 and Dnieper. This bank commences at the distance of about 
 ten miles outside Odessa, and thence runs across nearly to 
 Kinburn. The water on this bank does not exceed three 
 fathoms, and in some places is even less, but up to the distance 
 of three-quarters of a mile from the shore all round from 
 Odessa to Oczakoff, the water is much deeper, and this belt of 
 deep water is about three miles broad along its whole com-se 
 between the shore and the great sandbank, formed by the con- 
 tinuous deposits of the two rivers. At a mile from Kinbui-n 
 the water begins to shoal rapidly from thi-ee fathoms in depth to 
 a few feet. The entrance to Cherson Bay is guai'ded, as it were, 
 by the island of Beresne, and numerous beacons and lights were 
 formerly used to guide the mariner to the channel, which is 
 difficult and tortuous. The coast is well provided with telegi-aphs. 
 A number of poor fishermen live on the sandy spits about the 
 Bug, and there are some large curing establishments near Kin- 
 burn, and on the banks of the river up towards Nicholaieff. 
 This city (the name of which is spelt by us in six diiferent ways) 
 lies on the east bank of the Bug, at the distance of thirty-five 
 miles from the forts. Cherson Bay, which is formed by the 
 confluence of the Bug and Dnieper before they flow through the 
 channel between Oczakofl" and Kinburn, is very shallow, the 
 navigation of which is extremely dangerous and intricate, and 
 the mouths of the Dnieper, which resemble on a small scale the 
 debouchments of the Danube, are almost unknown to us. The 
 Bug varies from three miles and a half to two miles iu breadth 
 as far upwards as Nicholaiefi", below which a sudden narrow bend 
 contracts its com'se, the passage of which is defended by formid- 
 able works. Its depth is about three fathoms, but there are 
 many sandbanks in the channel, which winds from one side to 
 the other of the river, and a vessel would in any position be 
 under easy rifle range from both sides of the stream at the same 
 time. It is more than thirty miles from Kmburn to the entrance 
 of the Dnieper, and Cherson is fifteen miles above the Ul-defined
 
 OCZAKOFP AND KINBURN, 267 
 
 boundary where the extensive marais through which the 
 Dnieper, with many muddy mouths, eats its way to tlie sea, 
 ceases to become part of the mainland, and is resolved into 
 water. Persons who are endeavouring at home to connect this 
 expedition with a demonstration against Perekop will be puzzled 
 when they see that it is upwards of fifty miles from Cherson to 
 the Isthmus, and that the crow's flight between Kinburn and 
 Perekop, as he passes over the desolate Taurida — blealc, water- 
 less, and lifeless — exceeds ninety miles. Kinburn Fort is a 
 regular casemated stone-built work, mounting about forty guns- 
 according to the most extreme calculation, some giving only 
 twenty and others thirty-two guns — but north of the fort on 
 the spit running towards OczakofF the Russians have very 
 recently built two sand-batteries, the exact strength of which has 
 not yet been ascertained. Oczakofi" Fort is supposed not to be 
 very strong, but on the coast between it and the ferry, across the 
 arm of the sea which runs up to Kesandria, the enemy have 
 thrown up three small batteries, with heavy guns, one near the 
 feiTy of three guns, and two of five and three guns respectively 
 to the west of Oczakofi", which will bear upon the channel 
 between that place and Kinburn. 
 
 There is a good road along the spit between Kinburn and 
 Cherson, which, according to the best charts, are about forty- 
 eight or fifty miles apart by this route, and the retreating 
 garrison will, no doubt, try to escape by that road ; but in all 
 probability they will be cut off by the fire of the gun-boats across 
 it, and at the same time our troops will be landed four miles 
 S.E. of the fort, in its rear, so as to bar the escape of the 
 fugitives, and to prevent any reinforcement arriving from Cher- 
 son. The vast importance of retaining possession of this place, 
 even thouglyDur men must suffer considerably dui'ing the winter 
 months, cannot be overrated, and Russia wiU speedily find not 
 only the Crimean ainny reduced to surrender or to die from 
 starvation, but that a basis of operations against Nicholaieff and 
 Cherson has been secured in her own territory by the arms of 
 the conquering allies. 
 
 The following is my journal of events :— 
 
 Off SEBASTOPOii, October 7. 
 All the troops, both French and English, having been on 
 board for several days, and everything being in readiness for the 
 departure of the expedition, the Admiral made signal at eleven
 
 268 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 to-day for the steamers to weigh anchor and proceed to sea. 
 The allied squadrons, with a large flotilla of gun-boats, bomb- 
 vessels, and small steamers, stretching in two linos in front of 
 Kazatch and Kamiesch, must have displayed to the garrisons of 
 the north side of Sebastopol a spectacle of portentous grandeur. 
 We could see the enemy manning their battcri(!s on the north 
 side, and their troops under arms in front of their camps, and it 
 is most likely that they believed the allies were about to make a 
 descent in their rear. It was indeed no ordinary sight. The 
 French had four line-of-battle ships, several steam frigates, and 
 a number of gun and mortar boats, but in addition to that force 
 they had a formidably ugly armament of three floating steam 
 batteries, although England, with all her maritime and mechan- 
 ical resom-ces, could not aid her ally by even one of these tre- 
 mendous fortresses ! Where is the " Glatton," of which we have 
 been hearing for the last six months every week, and where are 
 her lovely companions ; are they all withered and gone ? These 
 
 French floating batteries, called the Devastation, Lave, and , 
 
 are curiously unprepossessing in appearance, and are painted 
 of a bluish stone colour, as if to increase the gloominess of 
 their aspect. They show eleven or twelve ports a-side, and 
 are understood to carry twenty-two fiftj'- pounders (French) each. 
 They were crowded with men, and were remarkably steady on 
 the water, but the French bomb-vessels and gun-boats roll 
 heavily on the smallest provocation. The men-of-war had their 
 ports triced up and guns run in, so as to give air to the soldiers 
 between decks, and presented long lines of kepis and red trousers 
 irom stem to stern. The day was very fine, and the wind was 
 scarcely strong enough to blow away the black and white 
 wreaths of smoke and steam from the funnels of the fleet as 
 they slowly got into motion. Each steamer had a mortar-vessel 
 or gun-boat in tow. At 11"15 the " Royal Albert" set driver and 
 fore and aft canvas, and slowly forged ahead, followed by the 
 " Hannibal" and the rest of the squadron ; the French division, 
 led by the " Montebello," moving on in a parallel line with us, 
 on the port or left-hand. The English portion of the expedition 
 was constituted nearly as follows, at least so far as I could 
 ascertain the names of the vessels and their respective com- 
 manders : —
 
 ENGLISH FORCE. 
 
 269 
 
 LINE-OF-BATTLE SHIPS. 
 
 Gun.s. 
 
 Koyal Albert. Sir E." 
 Lyons, G.C.B. &c., 
 hiivinj; on board 
 Brigadier • General 
 Spencer command- 
 "•« J 
 
 Hannibal, Sir H.^ 
 Stewart, K.C.B., I 
 second in command J 
 
 * Agamemnon . . . 
 
 Algiers 
 
 St. Jean d'Acre . . . 
 
 rrincess Koyal . . . 
 
 00 
 
 so 
 no 
 
 101 
 91 
 
 583 
 
 Captains 
 Commandina 
 
 W. R. Mends 
 
 J. Hay . . , 
 
 Sir J. Paslcy 
 C. Talbot . , 
 G. King . , 
 L. Jones . . 
 
 Troops 
 
 on 
 Board. 
 
 17th Kegt. 800 
 
 2l8t Regt. 670 
 
 20th Regt. .500 
 
 Royal 
 Slurinerf. 
 
 80 
 
 .... I in all 1,030 
 63rd Kegt. 700 I SO 
 
 2670 ! 
 
 1350 
 
 STEAM FRIGATES, SLOOPS, ETC. 
 
 Curai;oa 30 
 
 Dauntless 33 
 
 Firebrand 6 
 
 •Furious 16 
 
 Gladiator 6 
 
 Leopard IS 
 
 Odin 16 
 
 Sidon 22 
 
 Sphinx 6 
 
 Spiteful 6 
 
 Spitfire 5 
 
 Stromboli 6 
 
 Terrible 21 
 
 Tribune 31 
 
 Triton 3 
 
 * Valorous 16 
 
 Vulcan 6 i E. Van Donop 
 
 G. F. Hastings 
 A. P. Ryder 
 
 E. Ingleficld 
 W. Loring 
 C. Hillyar 
 
 G. GifTard . . { 
 
 I 
 
 J. Wilcox 
 
 r 
 
 G. Goldsmith ■{ 
 
 I 
 
 A. Wilmott 
 
 F. Shortt 
 T. Spratt 
 R. Hall 
 J. M'Cleverty 
 J. K. Drummond 
 A. D. Fletcher 
 C. Buckle 
 
 Totals 
 
 . 831 
 
 Left wing, 5 7th 
 370, and re- 
 serve anunn- 
 nition. 
 
 Right vring, 
 57th 390, and 
 reserve am- 
 munition. 
 
 * Joined the squadron at Odess.!.
 
 270 
 
 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 SMALLER VESSELS. 
 
 Gun-boats. 
 
 1. Arrow . 
 
 2. Clinker . 
 
 3. Cracker 
 
 4. Fancy . 
 
 5. Moslem . 
 
 6. Lynx 
 
 7. Viper 
 
 S. Wrangler 
 9. Ueagle . 
 10. Snake . 
 
 Guns. 
 4 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 1 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 
 Commanders. 
 Lt. W. K. Jolliffe. 
 Lt. Hudson. 
 Lt. Jlarryat. 
 Lt. Grylls. 
 
 Lt. C. M. Aynsley. 
 Lt. H. Comber. 
 Lt. Burgoyne. 
 Lt. Howitt. 
 Lt. Buckley. 
 
 MOETAE-VESSELS — (CAPTAlN DIGBY COMMANDING.) 
 
 Firm . 
 
 Hardy 
 
 Camel 
 
 Flamer 
 
 Magnet 
 
 Kaven 
 
 Lt. Leet, St. Jean d'Acre . 
 riersou, Mate, Frincess Royal 
 Vaugban, Mate, ditto . . . 
 Lt. Creagh, St. Jean d'Acre 
 Blunt, Mate, Algiers . . . 
 Hunt, Mate, Hannibal . . 
 
 Lt. Hewitt, R.M.A. 
 Lt. Foster, R.M.A. 
 Lt. Starr, R.M.A. 
 Lt. Brookes, R.M.A. 
 Lt. Pitman, R.M.A. 
 Lt.Festing, R.M.A, 
 
 Banshee. 
 
 STEAM TENDERS, ETC. 
 Danube. 
 
 Brenda. 
 
 TEANSPOETS. 
 No. Freight, &c. 
 
 Prince Alfred ... 126 . . Royal Artillery. 
 
 Arabia 83 . . Forrest, Royal Artillery, &c. 
 
 Orient 73 . . Medical Staff — Hospital Ship. 
 
 Lady Alice Lambton . 99 . . Stores. 
 
 Durham 179 . . 
 
 Indian 197 . . M'Master, Commissariat Staff, &c. 
 
 Charity 140 . . Civil Land Transport Corps and Com- 
 missariat Stores. 
 
 Colombo . . Methven, shot and shell, &c. 
 
 Zebra 211 . . Fuel. 
 
 Arthur Gordon . . .238 . . Stores. 
 
 Dr. Gordon, in medical charge of the expedition, Surgeon 
 Foaker, second in charge, and a number of medical ojEcers, 
 embarked on board the " Orient," which was laden with mule 
 litters and medical stores. 
 
 The officers of the Commissariat Department embarked on 
 board the " Indian " are Deputy-Commissary-General, in charge 
 of the expedition, Tyrone Power, Assistant-Commissary-General 
 Gumming, Deputy-Assistant-Commissary-General Sutherland, 
 and Commissariat Clerk Eobinson; Lieutenant Wardlaw, and 
 twenty Dragoons, Captain Nicholson, Lieutenant Gordon, and 
 Lieutenant Scratchley, in command of the Sappers and Miners,
 
 PROGRESS OF THE EXPEDITION. 271 
 
 are embarked on board the same vessel, in which are also seventy 
 Staff horses. Major Bent, Royal Engineers, in charge, is on 
 board the " Eoyal Albert," where quarters are also provided for 
 Brigadier-General Spencer and Staff. 
 
 As the fleets drew off from the land, leaving behind them the 
 forts of Sebastopol, both north and south, between which the 
 usual daily duel of caimon and mortar was going on, the French 
 went somewhat to the westward, and seemed to steer N.W. by 
 W., while we kept on a course N. by W. The Admii-al made 
 signal to the fleet that " the rendezvous " was to be " five miles 
 S. by E. of Odessa," and it was immediately conjectured that 
 the object of visiting that place was to induce the Russians to 
 talce away their forces from Nicholaieff and Cherson, in the 
 expectation of a descent upon them at Odessa. The speed of 
 the sqiiadi-on was not very gi-eat, as most of the vessels had 
 heavy boats in tow, and the signal was made from the Admii-al, 
 " Steer four miles an hour — course N.W. by N." 
 
 The " Triton " was ordered to keep close to the Admiral, 
 and not to follow the signals of smaller vessels, and at 2"10 the 
 flagship signalled that " the Admiral's course was no longer to 
 be regarded by the fleet," but that they were to keep in their 
 proper dii'ection, as already indicated. At four o'clock the 
 "Triton" was ordered not to exceed four knots an hour, the 
 Admiral's ship began to press on in front, and before evening 
 was well in advance of the squadron, attended by a despatch 
 gun-boat. The French, detained by their heavy batteries, made 
 the best of their way on oui* port quarter. The night was fine, 
 and the fleet moved slowly, and in extended order, for fear of 
 collisions, but just before dawn the " Stromboli " made a slight 
 dint in the huge bulk of the " St. Jean d'Acre," and carried away 
 one of the latter' s boats, which has since been recovered.
 
 272 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 At yea — Pleasant sensations — Land — Odessa in siglit — Beautiful appear- 
 ance of the city — Esplanades, boulevards, and rows of houses — Spec- 
 tators — Public buildinjrs — Domes, columns, steeples, and spires — Alarm 
 in Odessa — Uussian infantry discovered marching in haste towards the 
 city — The eternal Cossack — The telegraphs and signal stations — 
 Flocks and herds — Arrival of the fleets — Tremendous force off Odessa — 
 The " Viper" ordered to proceed to Kinburn to make the requisite 
 surveys — Fog — Climpses of the shore — Formidable appearance of the 
 fleets to the inhabitants of Odessa — Crowds of idlers on the esplanade — 
 The gunners all ready at the batteries — The fog increases — Return of 
 the active little " .Spitlire" — Sailing of the " Viper" countermanded — 
 Consultation on board the French admiral's ship — Signals — A breeze 
 springs up — Manoeuvres of cavalry and horse artillery on shore — 
 Odessa quite at the mercy of our fleets — Why the city was spared — 
 Horrors of a bombardment — Magnanimity of tlie allies. 
 
 October 8. 
 
 A HOT, briglit sun lighted up the round inirror of sea of which 
 we were the centre this fine morning. The sea gives a poor 
 human creatui-e a curious sense of his own importance. Where- 
 ever it is not Lroken in upon by the land, it conc^edes to the 
 vessel that has the honour of bearing him the position, or at 
 least the sensation, of being the very centre and :iavel of the 
 universe ; if it has not already smitten him down on some cruel 
 deck or woe-begone cot, by its own peculiar protest against the 
 arrogance of mankind. Although many big ships were near, 
 and a great flotilla was moving lUl round the edges of our great 
 
 cii'cle. Her Majesty's ship appeared on this fine Monday 
 
 morning to be the central point on a bright, flickering, shivering 
 mirror, fringed by columns of smoke, or framed in by the masts 
 of the distant fleet, fine as cobwebs on the edge of some ancient 
 cheval glass of Louis Quatorze. The French fleet Avas away 
 hull down on the port quarter, the grand, showy, big tricolours 
 at the peak .just topping the horizon, and the English fleet we 
 could not see, for the reason assigned in the Critie, which I 
 have never yet heard disputed, and shall therefore give in pre- 
 ference to any other. About 830 something very like a 
 three-decker under full sail, suffering terribly from refraction, 
 came in view. A tail white column standing out of the 
 sea. The haze gradually expanded as we advanced, and at 
 last " land " was reported from the bows, and a hapless wight 
 was despatched up into the clouds, to make any statements 
 which might strike him as to the general configuration and
 
 THE PLACE OP RENDEZVOUS. 2lo 
 
 geographical characteristics of the coast wo were approacliiny, 
 and to look out for " the British fleet at anchor," or afloat, as 
 the case might be. I am not aware that his information was 
 important or curious, and he only confirmed the profound observa- 
 tion of Sir Fretful Plagiary, after a lengthened sojourn among 
 the sea gulls ; but, at about nine o'clock, even landsmen could 
 make out " land " with good telescopes, and were obliged to 
 abandon the secret joys in which they had indulged at the 
 tlisappointment of the Quarter-master, when he found that " a 
 Tegular fog-bank" had been mistaken by him for terra Jirma, 
 and to admit that the " cloud," after all, was a " material 
 guarantee " of the Czar, and belonged indeed to Russland. The 
 canvas of the line-of-battle ship gradually resolved itself into a 
 tall, snow-white pillar, some 200 feet above the level of the sea. 
 which marks Cape Fontana, south of Odessa, and by degrees, as 
 we rose the land, a white light-house, a guard-house, a Avhite 
 telegraph-house and station, white farmhouses, white villa*; em- 
 bowered in green trees, pagodas, minarets, domes, and church 
 spires appeared in view, and clustered together, till we had a 
 day-dream of Constantinople and Naples together with a dash 
 of Boulogne in it, and Odessa came in sight. As I am neither 
 a voluntary tourist, a universal gazetteer, nor a photographer, I 
 shall not attempt to describe the city, which must, indeed, be 
 well known to Englishmen, though few artists can do justice to 
 it. These barbarous Russians have a rare knack of building 
 graceful, light, cheerful, and clean-looking cities, which even the 
 " Stones of Venice " might not utterly despise ; and, if it be 
 distance which lends enchantment to the view, they have at 
 least the satisfaction, denied to more civilized people, of saying 
 there is one point of view from which their cities win the .senses. 
 As we slowly drew up to our inevitable *' five mile.s S. by E. of 
 Odessa," we passed a wonderful creation, which, compared to 
 the slow ertbrts of oar ancient builders, seemed almost the work 
 of enchantment. There stood an extensive city, built on the 
 curve of a high sea-shore, with descending terraces and broad 
 riights of steps to the beach, which was enclosed by broad quays 
 and the walls of ports and ca,scmated batteries, all .shining 
 brightly in the morning sun. Broad esplanades, or boulevards, 
 lined with trees towards the sea-front, ran along the top of the 
 bank, with a background of stately mansions, worthy of the 
 best " rows " near the Regent's Park, and we could see a 
 numerous and gaily-dressed crowd of men and women passing 
 
 VOL. IT, 'f
 
 274 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 along the promenade, gazing on the dark clouds of smoke which 
 were slowly drii'tmg in on them from the distance. Behind. 
 and in continuation of this esplanade, are splendid residences, with 
 pillared poiiicoes and ornamented peristyles, magnificent public 
 institutions — the temples erected by Despotism to Civilization, 
 in hope of making peace with her — barracks, palaces, governor's 
 house, prisons, rising in front of a confused but graceful mass 
 of domes, columns, steeples, and spires. One huge dome is of 
 an intense ultra-marine blue, and is topped by a gilt cupola ; 
 another is of bright green, surmounted by a golden star ; here 
 is a Greek temple, there a Tartaresque-looking mosque ; there 
 an unmistakeable " little Bethel," here a Byzantine church ; 
 again, an Eastern mmaret-like spire ; further on, an indubitable 
 Sir Christopher Wren steeple : and, next to it, a grand dome 
 and cupola, which at once remind you of St. Peter's or St. Paul's. 
 This beautiful city is surrounded on the left by woods, bestudded 
 with the houses of Princes and Counts engaged in the corn 
 trade, and of merchants deeply interested in the state of the 
 English barometer. There is one dismantled three-masted 
 vessel inside the port, but the quay at the upper end of the 
 harbour encloses a considerable number of small coasting vessels ; 
 and even now we can see some small boats creeping down for 
 shelter along the coast under the batteries. At the distance of 
 about three miles fi'om the town, we found the " Valorous " and 
 " Furious" at anchor, and a French steam-squadron beside them 
 of greater force, with an Admiral's flag flying from the "Asmodee;" 
 indeed, the French vessels, to the number of four pendants from 
 large steamers, and of ten pendants from gun and mortar 
 vessels, had already arrived, or had preceded us. The esplanade 
 was, as 1 have said, crowded with people. The city was as 
 peaceful as a drop-scene at the theatre, but the operations of war 
 were going on, nevertheless, and little could we tell what alarm, 
 confusion, terror, and dread, dwelt within that beautiful city on 
 which we gazed so placidly. As the first ship of the English 
 squadron cast anchor, a long line of dust was observed rising 
 over the hUly coast to the north of Odessa and by the beach, 
 which is lined with trees and a thick hedge of bushes, and we 
 soon made out bayonets glistening in the sun, and a strong 
 body of Kussiau infantry, with field-pieces and baggage, con- 
 sisting of some five or six thousand men, marching in all 
 haste towards the city. Two small camps could be seen on 
 the hill-side towards the north, and a part of this column halted
 
 AGITATION ON SHORE. 275 
 
 and encamped outside Odessa. A number of mounted officers 
 accompanied the men, and some of them rode out through the 
 gaps in the hedge, upon the beach, and reconnoitred the fleet, 
 which was di-awing up towards the harbour. The eternal 
 Cossacks were standing by their horses in groups of two or 
 three, as videttes, beside the numerous signal and telegraph 
 stations which line the coast at intervals, and are in connexion 
 with a semaphore in Odessa, which was tossing about its arms 
 like Niobe gone mad. Others were observed galloping over the 
 fertile steppe, appearing and disappearing over the low lines of 
 hills, and numerous herds of cattle all over the country afforded 
 proof that we have exaggerated the general exhaustion of the 
 enemy's resources, if any were needed in addition to the pros- 
 perous appearance of all the white farmhouses and hamlets, with 
 their enormous stacks of hay and corn ai'ound the homesteads. 
 Some of the mhabitauts seemed to be moving away from the 
 place by the north road, and many wagons and carts were visible 
 going to and fro by the road to the northward. The French 
 fleet approached towards their anchorage from the south at the 
 moment that the top-gallant masts and smoke-wreaths of the 
 British fleet peered above the horizon, and at 3-30 the " Eoyal 
 Albert," followed at intervals by the rest of the ships, came up 
 with signals flying for the anchoring of all at two cables' length, 
 in order of seniority. This noble vessel let drop her bower iu 
 13 fathoms water, about three and a-half miles from Odessa, 
 soon after four o'clock, p.m. The smaller steamers and gun- 
 boats were then disposed of, the tows cast loose and secui-ed, and 
 with the beams of the bright setting sun lighting up the whole 
 of this tremendous array of batteries, with their polished 
 muzzles grinning from inmunerable ports, the people of Odessa 
 saw the fleets of England and France anchor in their bay, and 
 exhibit to them upwards of eighty vessels of war, ready at a 
 moment's notice to lay theu' homes in the dust. The evening 
 passed quietly ; the Admu'al made but few signals, but it was 
 linown that to-morrow nothing would be done, and that till the 
 work of soundmg ofi:' Kinburn and laying down buoys for the 
 fleet had been accomplished, the attack would not come off. 
 The " Viper " received orders to start at dawn for Kinburn, 
 whither the " Spitfire" had ah*eady proceeded, for the purpose of 
 making the requisite surveys. 
 
 October 9. 
 
 The wind came round from the S.S.W. this morning, a; d 
 t2
 
 27 G OFF ODESSA. 
 
 brought with it clouds, fog, iind vapours, which quite shut out 
 the sun from us. The shore could not be seen in detail, and 
 the day was so murky that we were unable to ascertain if the 
 inhabitants of Odessa were " flitting," as the more prudent 
 would assuredly do, with such a tremendous armada floating 
 before them. The sky was of a dark leaden grey, and seemed 
 surcharged with rain and storm. Now and then a solitary ray 
 broke through this veil, and lighted up a patch of houses in the 
 stately city, or illuminated bits of the sea-board, displaying for 
 a moment the Cossack pickets and videttes on the cliffs, and 
 snug farmhouses, surrounded by numerous stacks of hay and 
 corn ; small detachments of troops on the march over the stei^pes, 
 and eilwarjen, or lumbering Germanesque-lcoking diligences, 
 traversing the coast-road, a few stray horsemen riding at full 
 speed across country, and herds dotting the wide-spread plains. 
 The fleet must present a spectacle full of grandeur and 
 menace to the Odessans. It extends for the space of five miles 
 in front of their town, — a dense array of hulls and masts, yards 
 and rigging, which, seen from shore, looks, no doubt, as if it 
 were one unbroken network of ships restmg on the water. The 
 nine line-of-battle ships tower aloft in the centre, and the heavy 
 steamers, gun-boats, bomb-vessels, and transports, to the number 
 of sixty, fill up the intervals, and extend along the flanks of the 
 flotilla. The esplanade in front of a magnificent pile of public 
 buildings is covered with a crowd of people, among whom are 
 many oSicers and soldiers and well-dressed women, and the 
 gunners can be seen all ready for action, inside the parapets 
 of the long low batteries which guard this Queen of the Euxine. 
 These glimpses of the city were, however, infrequent, and were 
 soon denied to us altogether, for down came the Black Sea 
 fog, and wrapped us all in his clammy, unctuous, and chill 
 embrace so closely that we could not see much beyond the limits 
 of our own ship. The ever active and indefatigable little 
 " Spitfire" joined the fleet this morning. She had been away 
 somewhere or other taking soundings and bearings as usual, 
 and her appearance is a sure sign that some place on the enemy's 
 coast is to be favoured by a visit before long. Caj)tain Spratt 
 no doubt had a useful little budget of information for Sir 
 Edmund Lyons when he went on board the " Royal Albert," 
 and it was probably in anticipation of his return that the 
 " Viper" did not proceed northwards this morning. The Admiral 
 sent a boat to countermand the " Viper's" sailing orders attiu'ce
 
 A BLACK SEA FOG. 277 
 
 o'clock a.m., and it is understood that to-day will be occupied 
 ill council and in the arrangements for the execution of our 
 plans. The " Colombo" came to anchor with the fleet early 
 this morning, and the " Vulcan" troop-ship arrived about ten 
 o'clock in the forenoon. The only change in position which 
 took place was, that the " Valorous" and " Furious," which were 
 l3'iug inshore of all the fleet opposite Odessa, signalled to the 
 Admiral, one after the other, for permission to close nearer to 
 the flagship, and on receiving the necessary order weighed 
 anchor and moored in line with the other larger vessels of the 
 steam squadron. In the forenoon Sir Edmund Lyons left the 
 flagship in his barge, and was towed by the " Danube" to the 
 French Admiral's ship, where he remained for some time. I 
 believe Sir Houston Stewart accompanied him. 
 
 Subsequently to the Admiral's return, he signalled to each 
 ship to notify her draught of water. This was done accord- 
 ingly by signal, and the people of Odessa must have seen dimly 
 a brave show of bunting in our armada, as it required many flags 
 to express the various draughts forward and aft of each ship. 
 In the afternoon the wind freshened and the sea rose a little, 
 causing that peculiar gi'ound swell which distinguishes this part 
 of the Euxine. The fog settled down on the water about three 
 o'clock, slowly descending from the sky above, and distilled 
 itself into drops of rain, Avhich ran down the masts and fell from 
 spars and rigging. Before it became so very thick, our only 
 amusement had been watching the manoeuvres of a considerable 
 force of cavalry and horse artillery, drawn up on the cliffs, about 
 six miles from Odessa and three miles from our anchorage. 
 These were evidently intended to act as a flying column of 
 observation, and to march on any part of the coast which might be 
 threatened by our troops. It consisted of four troops of the Lancer 
 regiment, and, from the time I first saw it, at nine in the morning, 
 till it was lost in the fog, it only moved once, and then it was 
 merely to form in squadrons and trot, wheel round, and draw up 
 in double line again. Now a few rockets would have put these 
 gentry to flight at any time, but we did not seek to inflict use- 
 less loss or annoyance upon the enemy. A gun-boat might have 
 run in within easy range and shelled them at her leisure with 
 the most complete impunity ; nay, more — had the Admirals 
 desired to inflict such a great blow on Russia, who vaunts herself 
 to be invulnerable, and who boasts that, Antatus-like, she 
 acquires fresh strength from every overthrow — they could have
 
 278 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 burnt and destroyed the whole of the beautiful city which has 
 been created by the expenditm-e of so much labour, time, and 
 money, without incurring the risk of losing a ship or of causing 
 the loss of any life, except among the hapless inhabitants. The 
 mortar-vessels, gun-boats, and floating batteries might have 
 easily gone close enough to pour long range shot, rockets, and 
 bombs, into the town, without the chance of being hit by the 
 enemy, save by great luck. The city could not be missed, but 
 it is very nice practice to hit a long low black line — a snake in 
 the grass, wheeling and twisting about — at a distance of 2500 
 yards. Such, however, was not the policy or the feeling of the 
 Admirals, but the world will probably be told by the Russian 
 organs that the attitude of their troops and the appearance of the 
 batteries frightened the French and English fleets, and that they 
 abandoned their intention of attacking Odessa, awed by the 
 courage and devotion of the " holy Russians." Let the world, 
 however, know that Odessa was " spared" once more, and, 
 indeed, no one who looked at the city, which blends the mag- 
 nificence of the East with the solid and massive grandeur of the 
 West, could feel any desire for its destruction, unless it were 
 absolutely necessary for the success of the war and for the 
 attainment of peace. The horrors of a night bombardment of 
 a rich and populous city, full of women and children, would be 
 too dreadful ; but this expedition, meant for a very difierent 
 object, could, withoiit weakening its efficiency or force for 
 the accomplishment of the end on which it was sent, have 
 beguiled its weary hours in the fog by lajang Odessa in ruins. 
 It was not intended to injure a house in the place, or to fire a 
 shot against it ; but the enemy were at our mercy, and, had our 
 Admirals desired to do so, they could have knocked batteries, 
 churches, public buUdings, and houses into atoms. The destruc- 
 tion of the batteries would have necessitated that of many 
 houses, and have caused great loss of life among non-combatants. 
 We are not now in a position to ascertain the success of our ruse 
 in anchoring ofl" the town, but there is reason to believe that the 
 Russians have marched all theu* available force into the place 
 from the neighbourhood of Nicholaiefi" and Cherson. When the 
 fos: lifts we shall know more about our situation.
 
 CHURCH BELLS OF ODESSA. 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 The fog continues— Imitation of a London November fog— A signal 
 gun — Cliurch bells of Odessa — All conimiuiication between different 
 vessels in the fleet conses— Ennui — Opinions of old tars upon a 
 Black Sea fog — Anxiety of the ofticers— Tlie veil withdrawn — Odessa 
 once more visible — Activity in the fleets— Sir Edmund Lyons ably 
 supported by Sir Houston Stewart and Captain Jlends — Arrange- 
 ments — Order of formation on shore — An artful dodge — Fine weather 
 — Movement of troops in Odessa — Numerous spectators of the fleets — 
 llussian cavalry — Preparations for a start — Officers receive final instruc- 
 tions — A consultation between the admirals — Plan of attack on Kinburn 
 — Strength of the place — The wind rises and prevents the sailing of 
 the expedition — L»eparture again postponed — Odessa obscured by 
 dust — Continuance of unfavourable weather — Final order for the start. 
 
 October 10. 
 The fog continues, and is worthy of the best efforts of the 
 London atmosphere in November. It is not so rich in colour, 
 so yellow, or so choky, but it is equally thick and clammy. It 
 is white in colour, and sometimes the sun stamps a moonlike 
 imitation of his orb upon it, and in favourable moments one 
 can see a faint indication of his existence above. Now and then 
 you catch a dark outline of a vessel looming through the mist ; 
 you strain your eyes to make out your neighbour, but you might 
 as well try to pick out the details of Turner's blubber boilers or 
 of his phantom ships, and as you look, the vision has disappeared. 
 The water flows by -with a heavy oily roU, and the only noise 
 to be heard is the plash of the lazy waves against the paddle- 
 wheels, the bumping of the rudder, and the creak of an odd 
 timber, as he rubs against his fellows. But hark ! There is a 
 gun ! A dull bm-st of sound, followed by reverberations like 
 the muttering of distant thunder, which are caused by the 
 echoes of the report against the sides of the ships, denotes that 
 the Admiral wishes to indicate his position to some straggler, 
 who has not yet joined the fleet. Solemnly, through the silence 
 which intervenes between these signals, comes the full rich boom 
 of the church bells from Odessa. Possibly Papa Nicholas or 
 Papa Daniel is even now persuading a nervous and fashionable 
 congregation that the fog which hides their enemy from view is 
 the result of his own intercession with Saint or Martyr, and 
 these bells, which chime so sweetly, may be using their metal 
 tongues to call down disaster on our heads, and to invoke the 
 blessing of Heaven on the soldiers of the Czar. As the day
 
 250 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 advances the fog darkens, deepens, thickens. The rolling of 
 drmas— the beat of paddle-wheels as a solitary steamer changes 
 her berth with cantion — the striking of the bells of the ships, 
 and the reports of guns at long intervals, are the only evidenc 
 that a great fleet is lying all around us. All communication 
 between the ships ceases, for no one can tell whei-e his next 
 neighbour is ; in fact, a philosopher would find this a charming 
 place just now for study and reflection. But those who are 
 accustomed to more active existence find the time very heavy on 
 their hands, and the excitement of seeing the men " knock about 
 the gims," of hearing them and the boys say their gunnery 
 catechism, " No. 1," — " Takes out tompions, bear out the port, 
 worms 'em, sponges, rams 'ome, runs out, and trains," — of 
 Avatching the barometer, of seeing the fowls fed, and of inspect- 
 ing the various dogs, pigs, and birds which constitute the pets 
 of the crew, and the more substantial enjojanents of the ofScers, 
 palls after a time, and one — even ofl' Odessa, and cheek by jowl 
 with the enemy — is fairly obliged to yawn by General Ennui. 
 What is happening around us no one can see or say, and there 
 is a iiorrible gloomy misanthropical curiosity seizing upon every 
 one to ascertain the longest time a Black Sea fog was ever 
 known to last, which elicits most startling declarations from 
 morose old tars, that " If it's a riglar out-and-out 'un, with a 
 light breeze from the sutherd and vesterd, it may last ibr 
 a matter of a fortnight — ay, that it may." Sundry dismal 
 experiences are not wanting to enforce the probability of such a 
 lively event taking place again. " And then the bad weather 
 will set in ; and, with sogers aboord, I'd like to know what we 
 can do ?" The barometer now indicates 29° 42' ; the wind, 
 which is very faint and light, is from the S.S.W. ; and, as the 
 success or failure of the expedition entirely depends on the 
 weather, the anxiety of all oflScers who have the interest and 
 reputation of the navy at heart, is seriously aroused by our 
 atmospherical prospects. 
 
 3-30 P.M. 
 The fog is clearing away, and one after another the ships of 
 the fleet appear in sight, as if coming out in a dissolving view. 
 Odessa still looks very hazy. The Admiral avails himself of 
 the pleasing change in the weather to make signal for a lieu- 
 tenant from each ship to repair on board the " Royal Albert." 
 The boats are lowered, and the aspect of the scene is now very 
 different from what it was an hour aaro. The change is as
 
 PLAK OF THE EXPEDITION. 281 
 
 great as if one had coine out of a dark room into the leading 
 thoroughfare of a hirge and busy city. The cutters and gigs 
 glide about in all directions, visits are paid from ship to ship, 
 and some boats sweep in to have a nearer look at the shore, 
 which is indeed very tempting at this distance. The wind, 
 however, increases as the fog disappears, and blows more off the 
 laud, which will render the landing beach a lee shore, and be 
 rather unfavourable for us if it freshens. 
 
 The flagship is of course the centre of hard work, thought- 
 fulness, and activity, and Sir Edmund Lyons is, as he so often 
 takes occasion to state, not only assisted most zealously and 
 ably by Sir Houston Stewart, but he is fortunate in having the 
 services of one so energetic, clearheaded, and practical as Captain 
 Mends, who has to go through an enormous amount of mental 
 and physical labour on such occasions as the present. When 
 the lieutenants went on board they received instructions for the 
 disposition of the respective ships to which they belonged for 
 the following day, and again the impression was confirmed that 
 the destmation of the expedition will be Kinburn. The arrange- 
 ments seem very simple, and are not embarrassed by unnecessary 
 complications. The gun-boats sweep the beach, if there is any 
 I'csistance, and continue their fire till the enemy retires out of 
 range. The men are then landed from the line-of-battle ships 
 in the launches and paddlebox boats, towed by the small 
 steamers with light di-aught of water. The following is the 
 order of formation on shore : — 
 
 "« S 
 
 French. 
 
 fa .s j3 « .=: to 
 
 f^ O -JQ hi r4 *i O ioWK M OIO?)^ S 
 
 + ++++++ +++ + ++++ + 
 Beach. 
 
 It will be seen from this plan that the French will form the
 
 282 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 left and the English the right of the force as they disembark, 
 and that our little force is divided into two brigades, which 
 renders it more manageable. Of the exact arrangements for 
 the landing I as yet know nothing more than that the " Spiteful," 
 " Furious," and " Triton" are to discharge the " St. Jean d'Acre" 
 of her great freight of Royal Marines, and to take the " St. Jean 
 d' Acre's" boats in tow. After this, the " Triton," under the 
 orders of the " Leopard," is to retain the line-of-battle ship's 
 boats and the " Terrible's" paddlebox boat, and is to assist in 
 landing the horses, &c., on boai-d the " Indian," Ko. 197. It 
 seems probable that the arrangements for the disembarkation 
 will be under the control of Captain Giffard, of the " Leopard." 
 
 C O'CLOCK. 
 
 The fog has withdrawn, and the lights of Odessa begin to 
 twinkle in the distance. In order to strengthen the belief of 
 the inhabitants that we are going to attack the place to-morrow, 
 the Admirals have just made signal " to send down topgallant- 
 masts," the usual preUminary for action in big ships. There is, 
 of course, a race np the rigging, and great emulation between 
 the different ships to obey this order, and it is to be hoped the 
 Odessans clearly imderstood its import. Every preparation is 
 made to keep a bright look out to-night, and to prevent any 
 boat stealing from the town to have a look at us in the dark. 
 A bold enemy would not esteem it impossible to take a dash at 
 one of the nearest steamers and cut her out ; but the Russians 
 have no dash or audacity, although they possess abundance of 
 coolness and courage. 
 
 October 11. 
 
 All was quiet during the night. The sun rose unclouded 
 this morning, and there is a fine light breeze from the N.N.W. 
 The air is as clear and pure as though we Avere moored in 
 a Swiss lake. The large men-of-war have not only their top- 
 gallant masts struck, but they have splinter nettings stretched 
 over the decks between the masts, as if they were at once going 
 in to engage the forts. Odessa looks more beautiful than ever 
 this morning. Clouds of dust are seen rising from its streets, 
 as if large bodies of troops were moving about all over the town. 
 The eternal Cossacks are watching on the cliifs near us, walking 
 up and down to keep themselves warm, or playing with their 
 shaggy little ponies. Wherever there is a good view of the 
 fleet to be had a crowd of people may be observed standing, and
 
 PLAN OP ATTACK ON KINBURN. 283 
 
 the esplanades and terraces, and even the housetops and parapets 
 of the batteries, are occupied by spectators. The cavahy on the 
 hill to the nortli of the town were visible at early dawn, and 
 there they stand yet — each man dismounted, at the side of his 
 horse. The telegraphs along the coast are working very 
 busily. 
 
 The flagship, at 8'30 a.m., signalled to the fleet to " Prepare 
 ■three days' provisions for troops to land with." 
 
 11 A.M. 
 
 The French fleet is getting up steam, and several of our 
 steamers are following the example. The Admiral has signalled 
 to " 'Viper' to close," .and to " 'Triton' to shorten in cable." 
 The weather looks rather nasty to windward. The barometer 
 is as low as 29'35, The sea is rising, although we are under 
 the lee of the land, and there must be a considerable surf on 
 the banks at the mouth of Cherson Bay. 
 
 At ll'lO signal was made to gun-boats " to get up steam for 
 slow speed," and officers from each ship, in pursuance of instruc- 
 tions received yesterday, repaired on board the Admiral's, where 
 they were made acquainted with the exact duty required of 
 them in connexion with the plan of attack, and were subsequently 
 sent in to the Admiral, who examined each of them himself as 
 to their respective tasks. Admiral Bruat went on board the 
 " Eoj^al Albert," and remained with Sir E. Lyons for some time. 
 Sir H. Stewart was also present. Nothing can be more clear, 
 explicit, and, as far as a civilian can judge, more judicious, than 
 the directions, and one is tempted to regret that it is not the 
 custom of newspapers to print charts and plans, in order that 
 the programme which follows may be understood as it ought to 
 be. The large chart referred to, 2201, is only possessed by two 
 or three of the line-of-battle ships. 
 
 "plan or ATTACK ON KINBUEN. 
 
 " No. 1. The line-of-battle ships to engage the Fort Kinbum 
 and two sand batteries on the point, will anchor in about 30 feet, 
 in a line extending northward from fort, bearmg E., and about 
 1200 yards distant from it. 
 
 " No. 2. The four French line-of-battle ships to form the 
 southern division, so that the ' Montebello' will be the fourth 
 ship from the soi^th, and the ' Royal Albert,' as the fifth ship, 
 will be the southern ship of the English division.
 
 284 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 " No. 3. The line-oi'-battle ships are to weigh together and 
 form a lino abreast, north and south, at a cable apart. The 
 southern line-of-battle ship is then to steer so as to bring the 
 south end of Kinburu Fort bearing E. by compass, and, to 
 shield her from any danger that may not have been discovered, 
 or from approaching too close to the bank to the S., she is to be 
 
 preceded by two steamers, tht; and the , each at u 
 
 cable apart, and in advance, on her starboard bow, and showing 
 their soundings. When the south line-of-battle ship brings the 
 south end of Kinburu to bear E., she is to steer for it. The 
 rest of the ships will then steer the same course, keeping one 
 cable apart, and all anchor together in a line nearly north and 
 south, just without the flag buoj's that will be placed during 
 the previous night. 
 
 '• No. 4. The nine ships will then be in position for the first 
 five or six to engage Fort Kinburn at from 1200 to 1400 yards, 
 and perhaps less, and the other three to take the sand batteries 
 in flank and rear at about 1000 yards. 
 
 " No. 5. The three French floating batteries are to be placed 
 on a line N.N.W. and S.S.E. of each other, to the S.W. of Fort 
 Kinburn, at about 600 yards distant from it. 
 
 '• No. (5. The mortar vessels are to anchor in a line E. and 
 AV., at 280() yards distant, with the fort bearing N.E. from the 
 outer vessel of the line. 
 
 " No. 7. The English mortar-boats to be towed by the 
 ' Odin,' on a line E. of the French. 
 
 " No. 8. If the outer mortar-vessel brings Oczakoff telegraph 
 on with the east end of Fort Kmbm-n, bearing N. 20 E. 
 (magnetic), and steers for it till the Oczakoff telegraph and 
 Odzah Point subtend an angle of 70 degrees, she will be about 
 the requisite distance of 2800 yards fi-om Fort Kinburn ; the 
 rest can take their stations at a cable distance east of her. 
 
 " No. 9. The ' Sidon,' ' Cura(joa,' ' Tribune,' ' Dauntless,' 
 and * Terrible' to anchor close off the North Sand Battery on 
 Kinburn Spit, or, when ordered, to join the squadron of gun- 
 boats, &c., that have previously entered within the straits, should 
 any large ships of the enemy from Nicholaiefif appear for the 
 relief of Kinburn. 
 
 " No. 10. The disposable paddle steamers can find good posi- 
 tions between the line-of-battle ships for directing their fire with 
 steady aim at the embrasures of the casemates or at any position 
 where the enemy maintains his fire, or oif the N. and N.W.
 
 THE ADVANCED SQUADROX. 265 
 
 extremity of the Kinburn Spit, to enfilade the batterios and 
 their approaclies. 
 
 "No. 11. Tlic <^un-boats will attend to protect the army 
 during the landing, and thot;e not ordered to remain to cover 
 their Hank to take up position between the other ships as oppor- 
 tunity oilers, and by a carefid attention to the plan of attack are 
 not to lire in the direction of the other ships. 
 
 ■' No. 12. The Admiral holds the captains responsible tor 
 there being no firing, unless the men can distinctly see the 
 objects they are directed to lire upon. 
 
 •' ' Triton' and ' Beagle' to attend ' St. Jean d'Acre.' Each 
 ship's boats to land her own troops. Reserve ammunition for 
 the Marines to be landed with them. ' Spiteful' and ' Furious,' 
 assisted by 'Triton,' to land 21 cavalry horses, 7 staff' horses, 
 37 regimental staff hoi-ses trom No. 197, and 00 Sappers, with 
 tools, &c. 
 
 '' The captain of each ship is to be responsible for the disem- 
 barkation of his own troops and baggage. 
 
 •' I'KOCEEDINGS OF THE ADVANCED SQUADEOX FOB 
 BUOYING THE DAXGEES. 
 
 " The ships denoted in the margin, piloted by ' Spitfire,' are 
 to start at 1 p.m., and anchor in the following position, as sho'sni 
 in the chart No. 2201, ti-om Odessa to Dnieper Bay : — 
 A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. 
 No, 2. A. Valorous, 
 
 B. Dauntless. 
 No. 1, C, Gladiator. 
 
 1). Furious. 
 
 E. Spiteful. 
 
 F. French mortar-boat. 
 
 G. French mortar-boat. 
 H. French mortar-boat. 
 
 " The vessels anchored at C, D, and E, on the north side of 
 the p;issagc, are after sunset to show a red light to the west, and 
 those at F, G, and H ai'c to show gi-een lights in the same 
 direction, as guides for the fleet on passing through during tlii^ 
 iiight. The vessel at A, ' Valorous,' to show lights vertical 
 over the side, screened from N.W, round by E. to S., and seen 
 to the W. only. The four gun-boats, ' Clinker,' ' Cracker,' 
 ' Grinder,' and ' Fancy,' accompanied by four French guu-boats
 
 286 OFF ODESSA. 
 
 of shallow di'auglit of water, will proceed, after the former 
 vessels have anchored, to the rendezvous, at 8 p.m., near the 
 ' Valorous,' anchored at A. The foui- English gun-boats to he 
 provided with buoys (white). The vessel at No. 2 A to provide 
 two boats that are to be despatched and anchored upon the S.W. 
 exti-emity of Oczakoif IJank, in foui" fathoms, to be a guide, by 
 showing lights, for the French gun-boats to commence buoying 
 the edge of that bank with black buoys. The two boats on 
 their return to the ' Valorous' to place a white buoy on the end 
 of Kinburn Spit, in five fathoms water. 
 
 " The ' Spitfire,' assisted by the boats of the ' Dauntless,' 
 at B, will mark the edge of the bank — ere landing — west of 
 Kinburn, with small white flags, placed in five fathoms. 
 
 " N.B. All white buoys are to lie on the south side of the 
 channel, and black buoys mark the north edge of it, and are 
 consequently to be left on the port hand in passing to eastward." 
 
 It appears that the enemy have been for some time past 
 strengthening Kinburn, which has been constantly watched by 
 a steam cruiser, and a little while ago, it was so weak that a 
 lieutenant in the navy volunteered to land at night with 300 
 men and to seize and blow up the fort. His offer was not 
 attended to. We shall know more about the strength of the 
 place to-morrow, if the expedition gets away in time, but I fear 
 it will be Saturday before anything can be done, and even then 
 there must be far less wind than at present. 
 
 11'30. — Signal to "'Vulcan,' 'St. Jean d'Acre,' 'Leopard,' 
 'Hannibal,' ' Princess Koyal,' and 'Algiers,'" that "'spirits 
 are to be issued for the Marines ordered to disembark, in the 
 same proportion as for the troops.' " It is blowing stronger 
 than ever, and the sea rising. 
 
 12"30. — Signal from " Royal Albert" and " Hannibal" to 
 " ' Sidon,' 'Vulcan,' and ' Princess Eoyal,' " to " ' anmd move- 
 ments of troops to-day.' " The wind is too high to admit of the 
 successful completion of the delicate operations indicated in the 
 plan of attack, and it is now pretty certain that nothing will or 
 can be done till the wind and sea abate. The next signal deter- 
 mines the point. It is for the whole fleet, — " Departure post- 
 poned for more settled Aveather." The "Viper" and "Triton" 
 close with the " St. Jean d'Acre," and that is the only move- 
 ment which takes place till sunset. Either large bodies of men 
 are at work and are marching about the streets of Odessa, or it 
 is the most dusty city in the world, for at present we cannot
 
 DEPARTURE OF THE FLEET. 287 
 
 see any portion of tlie town, althoug-h the atmospliore is very 
 bright and clear. This little breeze of wind will afford more 
 food for the Papas to feed their ilocks withal. It is said that 
 the clouds of dust we witness are natural to Odessa, and almost 
 peculiar to it during the least breeze from S. or S.W, 
 
 October 12. 
 To-day was like unto yesterday, exactly. The French gun- 
 boats and om* ovn\ were getting under way just after noon, when 
 the wind and sea rose as before, the weather looked threatening, 
 and the very signals of yesterday were repeated. It is reported 
 that a large lire was lately observed bm-niug on Kinburn Spit, 
 and the " Spitfire" has gone away to reconnoitre. The mail 
 arrived by a French steamer. 
 
 October 13. 
 
 The wind was high, and the sea ran heavily till 2 o'clock 
 this morning. The " Banshee" arrived about 10 a.m. At noon 
 the weather looked threatening, and the same signals were 
 repeated for the postponement of om* departure. The wind has 
 hauled roimd to the north this evening, and the weather pro- 
 mises to be fine. The Admiral has signalled to the fleet to 
 weigh to-morrow morning, at 6 o'clock, and to follow the 
 " Royal Albert" in order of seniority. 
 
 The weather threatening, barometer 29 "41, wind light from 
 S.S.W. At 12"15 the signal was made to postpone departure 
 till more settled weather, and at 12'30 orders were given to 
 bank down fires and to prepare to start at dawn. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE CAPTURE OF KINBURN. 
 
 The fleet sails along the coast — It anchors — The passage between Oczakoff 
 and Kinburn Spit forced by a portion of the fleet — Landing of the 
 troops — Bombardment by the gun and mortar boats — The wind rises 
 and produces a surf that impedes the progress of operations — The 
 French fall in with a Cossack picket — Seasonable supplies — Renewal of 
 the attack — The intrenchments — Fall of Kinburn — Opening of the 
 bombardment — A conflagration — An engagement between the fleet 
 and the forts — Another conflagration — A flag of truce on the rampart 
 — The Russians surrender — The garrison marches into our lines — 
 Bumours. 
 
 Off Kinburn, October 14. 
 
 The fleet weighed and stood along shore this morning. The 
 
 inhabitants were in a ferment of alarm. The weather was
 
 288 THE CAPTURE OF KINBURN. 
 
 beautiful, and we could at our leisure admire tlie numerous 
 
 cleau-lookinjj^, snug villages, the immense flocks and herds and 
 
 well-filled iurmyards, which met the eye along the coast. The 
 
 fleet anchored at three o'clock three miles west of Kinburn Fort. 
 
 It is understood that the plan of attack has been materially 
 
 changed. 
 
 October 15. 
 
 Last night the " Valorous," Captain Buckle, with Rear- 
 Admii-al Sir H. Stewart on board, and several French and 
 English vessels, forced the passage between Oczakoff' and Km- 
 burn Spit, and got into Cherson or Dnieper Bay. I could only 
 see five gun-boats, three French and two English, this morning, 
 but I was assured the " Valorous " entered also. 
 
 The troops landed without the smallest opposition, or even 
 the appearance of an enemy, about four miles below the fort, in 
 the order already indicated ; the 17th regiment was the first to 
 land, and the French were, for a wonder, behind ns. The 
 mortar and gun-boats bombarded the forts for three hours, but 
 did not produce any apparent impression. The weather con- 
 tinuing fine, the troops set to work, intrenching themselves on 
 the eandy spit : only a few Cossacks were visible towards 
 Cherson. The wind rising, and thereby producing a surf upon 
 the beach towards evening, suspended opea-ations. 
 
 October 16. 
 
 This morning a few French troopers, who were out patrolling 
 in front of our lines on the plain towards Cherson, came upon a 
 Cossack picket, hid in some brushwood. They charged at once 
 with great gallantry, killed two, and took two prisoners out of 
 the party, which consisted of eight men, and since this occur- 
 rence the Cossacks have not been visible in front. The breeze 
 is still strong on the land, and the surf is so high as to render 
 landing disagreeable. Getting off" again involves the certainty 
 of a thorough wetting. Great diflicultj"- is in consequence 
 experienced in landing stores, and the paddle-box boats and 
 flats, which got adrilt last night and this morning, are still on 
 .shore, settling into the sand. One of these has drifted under lire 
 of the fort. The Cossack guard-station is fast disappearing, as 
 the few bouses are i'ound to contain wood, and wood burns, and 
 fuel is necessary for cooking. The cow-houses and stables have 
 been carried off' bodily, even the bulrushes are considered too 
 valuable to be left behind ; the cabbages have been cut, and the 
 potatoes dug up, and the hedge taken away, the pigeons killed
 
 FALL OP K'lNBURN. 289 
 
 with revolvers, the poultry and pigs eaten, and the horses appro- 
 priated. It was too windy to open fire from bomb or gun- 
 boats, and scarcely a shot was fired on either side till late in 
 the afternoon, when a steamer, with an Admiral's flag at the 
 mizen, and supposed to be the " Valorous," with Sir Edmund 
 Lyons or Sir Houston Stewart on board, seemed to leave the 
 fleet, and to fijrce the passage, amid a good deal of firing, but 
 we are so far to the southward, and the day is so hazy, that it 
 is impossible to make out what takes place. The steamer now 
 apparently lies very near the fort, with a French steamer of 
 equal size close to her. These steamers, aided by two or three 
 of the gun-boats, opened fire at 3 p.m., which continued till 
 3'35 p.m., at the rate of a couple of guns in the minute, and 
 which was returned by the Russians, but no apparent effect was 
 produced by either side ; and the Russian shells, as usual, burst 
 high in the air, long before their flight was completed. 
 
 The works are beginning to assume shape, and to gather 
 strength at every shovel-throw of earth, so that in a couple of 
 days the Russians will find intrenchments between them and 
 Kinburn, whichever way they turn. The intrenched camp will 
 present one line of works towards the fort, and another about 
 half-a-mile in the rear towards Cherson, the flanks being open 
 to the sea at each extremity, so as to be covered by the guns of 
 the shipping. The French take the trench facing Kinburn, and 
 may be considered as the army of operations against the place — 
 the English guard the rear against any attack from Cherson. 
 It would seem as if the French were going to proceed against 
 the obstinate old Governor of Kinburn by regular approaches, 
 and to sap up within battering distance, if he holds out in spite 
 of the fleet. 
 
 October 17, 5 p.m. 
 
 Kinburn has fallen, after a short but most desperate defence. 
 Early this morning, the Russians perceiving that the French 
 had crept up dm'ing the night to the ruined village, and were 
 busily engaged in making their first parallel, under cover of the 
 houses, at about 700 or G50 yards from the place, opened a brisk 
 fire upon them from the guns en barbette in the eastern curtain j 
 and were answered by two French field-pieces from the screen 
 of a broken wall. It was a dull, gi-ey dawn, with wind off 
 the shore, and the sea quite calm. The fleet was perfectly 
 still, but the mortar-vessels, floating batteries, and gun-boats 
 were getting up steam, and before nine o'clock they might be 
 
 VOL. II. V
 
 290 THE CAPTURK OP KINBURN. 
 
 eeen leaving the rest of the armada, and making for the 
 south side of the fort. The three floating batteries took 
 up a position close in with the casemates, and the mortar- 
 vessels and gun-boats were drawn up further away, and more 
 to the eastward, so as to attack the angle of the fort, and 
 fight the guns which were on the curtains en harbefte. The 
 floating batteries opened with a magniiieent crash, at 9"30 a.m., 
 and one in particular distinguished itself for the regularity, 
 precision, and weight of its fire throughout the day. The enemy 
 replied with ahvcrity, and his batteries must have been put to 
 a severe test, for the water was splashed into pillars by shot all 
 over them. At 10' 10 the bombs opened fire. At ll-lO a fire 
 broke out in the long barrack, and speedily spread fi'om end to 
 end of the fort, driving the artiller3'men from their guns. Small 
 explosions of supply ammunition took place inside. 
 
 At 11'15 the Russian Jack was shot away, and was not re- 
 placed ; the firing became tremendous. Admiral Stewart, in 
 the "Valorous," and the French Admiral (second in command), 
 in the " Asmodee," followed by eleven steamers, came round the 
 Spit Batteiy into Cherson Bay, delivering broadsides and 
 engaging the batteries as they passed, and they were preceded 
 by the " Hannibal," which ripped up Kinbum with her broad- 
 sides. The fire raged more furiously, fed by constant bombs 
 and rockets, and at 12'35 a fresh conflagration burst out in the 
 fort. At the same time the "Valorous," "Asmodee," and 
 steam frigates opened their broadsides, and the nine line-of-battle 
 ships approached in magnificent style, and took up their position 
 at the seaward face of the fort, already seriously damaged by 
 the tremendous fire of the floating batteries, gun-boats, and 
 mortar-vessels. The storm of shot from this great ordnance 
 is appalling. The very earth seems flying into dust, and 
 the fiery embers of the fort are thrown into columns of 
 sparks. Still the Russians stand to the only guns they have 
 left. The broadsides increase in vigour, and at last a white 
 flag is waved by a single man from the rampart. Boats with 
 flags of truce push off", and bring back the information that 
 the garrison is willing to surrender. At 2 p.m. the firing 
 ceases, and 1100 men march into our lines. Several of these 
 were quite dnink ; they caiTied off food and drink, and the 
 officers wore their side-arms. The garrison consisted of the 
 29th Regiment and of one hundred Artillerymen. Two hundred 
 are said to be killed, and four or five hundred wounded ; but
 
 SUKRENDEK OF THE GARRISON. 291 
 
 admittance to the town is denied by the French, as it is re- 
 ported that the Governor, inflamed to madness, is in the powder 
 magazine, watching for the victors to enter, in order to fire the 
 mine, which is well stored with powder. We shall know more 
 to -morrow. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIL 
 
 SniTender of the governor — His grief at liis reverse — Obstinacy of the 
 second in command — llussian council of war held during tlie bombard- 
 ment — The majority decide iii favour of submission — Tears of the 
 governor on signing the articles of surrender — The major-general's 
 friendly warning — Strength of the place — Preparations for increasing 
 its strength — Guns — Piles of shot and shell — Large stores of ammu- 
 nition — Prisoners of war — Plans for the future — Lipraiidi with 22,000 
 men supposed to be in the neighbourhood — Cherson — ISicholaiefi"-— The 
 "banks of the Bug — Seven hundred and fifty Russians to be sent to 
 Spithead — Appearance ot the prisoners — Intoxication — A reconnais- 
 eauce towards Cherson — A deserter from Oczakoff — Active opera- 
 tions — The bomb-vesseld — Success of ihe floating batteries. 
 
 October 18. 
 When the flag was waved from the parapet, two boats, eacli 
 bearing a flag of truce, pushed off, one from the English and 
 another from the French Admiral, and at the same tiiTie Sir 
 Houston Stewart proceeded to land near the battery, where he 
 found the French General advancing to parley with the Governor. 
 Major-General Kokonovitch advanced with a sword and pistol in 
 one hand and a pistol in the other. He threw down his sword 
 at the officer's feet, and discharged his pistols into the gromid, 
 or at least pitUed the triggers with the muzzles pointing down- 
 wards, in token of surrender. He was moved to tears, and as 
 he left the ibrt turned round and uttered some passionate excla- 
 mation in Russian, of which the interpreter could only make out, 
 " Oh ! Kinburn ! Kinbiun ! Glory of Suwarofi' and my shame, I 
 abandon you," or something to that eflect. As the garrison 
 marched out they were ordered to pile their arms, but many of 
 them threw them on the ground at the feet of the conquerors, 
 with rage and mortification depicted on their features. It appears 
 that the second in command, whose name is something like 
 Saranovitcli — a Pole by birth — inflamed by courage and its 
 Dutch ally, declared he would not surrender, and that he was 
 prepared to blow up the magazine before the enemy should enter. 
 In this he was supported by the officer of engineers and by the 
 officer of artillery. Ainid the crash of falling buildings, the 
 u2
 
 392 THE CAPTURE OF KINBUKN. 
 
 explosions of mortars, the thunder of the fleet, and the smoke 
 and flames of their crumbling batteries, the Russians held a 
 hasty council of war, at which it was put to the vote whether 
 they should surrender or not, and the majority carried the ques- 
 tion in the affirmative, on the side of humanity and reason. lu 
 vain the fanatic Pole, the artilleryman, and engineer, tried to 
 persuade the Governor and the majority to persist in the mad- 
 ness and folly of continuing their passive resistance, for active 
 opposition was out of their power. " We can hold out for a 
 week," said they. " What then?" asked the Governor. " You 
 have not been able to fire a shot for three-quarters of an hour. 
 Are yo\i likely to be in a better state two hours hence, and, above 
 all., where are the men to live in the mean time.''" Such argu- 
 ments, enforced by tremendous broadsides and by the knocks of 
 the Admirals with cannon balls against every side of the foi't, 
 prevailed. The white flag was hoisted, much to the satisfaction 
 of every humane sailor in the allied fleet, who could feel no 
 pleasure in destroying a brave enemy, and much more to the 
 gratification of those who were allowed to cease a demonstration 
 of hopeless courage. Kokonovitch wept as he threw down the 
 pen with which he signed the articles of surrender, but he had no 
 reason to be ashamed of his defence. By the terms of the capitula- 
 tion the garrison were permitted to retire with everything except 
 their arms, ammunition, and guns ; the officers were allowed to 
 wear their swords, the men to carry off their knapsacks, cloth- 
 ing, regimental bugles, church property, relics, and pictures. 
 When the Major-General was asked to use his influence, or to 
 give a pledge that no harm should beiidl such of the allies as 
 might enter the place, he said he would do so, " but at the same 
 time I must tell you," added he, " that the flames are at this 
 moment very near the grand magazine." This was a friendly 
 caution, which produced, of course, a corresponding effect, and 
 steps were at once taken to prevent any such lamentable losses 
 as Avcre caused aftisr the evacuation of Sebastopol by the rashness 
 of the troops. The second in command, the artillery officer, 
 and the engineer, finding themselves deserted by officers and 
 men, abandoned their suicidal determination, and surrendered; 
 so Kinburn was ours, as far as the flames and smoke would allow 
 us to occupy it. The defenders of the northern forts on the 
 spit were not aware for some time of the reduction of the 
 principal battery, or at least paid no attention to it, and 
 hammered away from one gun till a shot from the *' Terrible"
 
 DESCBIPTION OF THE FORT. 293 
 
 utterly destroyed the casemate. As well as I can make out, 
 there are in Kinburn Fort fifty-one guns mounted cii harhette, 
 inside and in the outworks, six flanking guns in casemates, and 
 twelve mortars, and of these twenty-nine are dismounted, 
 smashed, or disabled in gun or carriage. Tn the Centre Spit 
 Battery there are ten guns, of which two are disabled, and in 
 the Spit, or North Battery, there are ten guns, of which three 
 are smashed. We ariivcd just in time to prevent the latter work 
 from assuming most troublesome dimensions, for the casemates 
 were ready for nine more guns, and the platforms indicated they 
 would be of large calibre. The guns in Kinburn were long 
 eighteen and twenty-four pou. i<^rs, of great weight and thick- 
 ness, and some of ancient date; we found a small park of guns 
 inside ready for mounting. Some of the others were of 1852, 
 and the piles of shot and shell and stores of ammunition of all 
 kinds were out of all proportion to the size of the place. 
 
 The prisoners will be embarked and sent to Constantinople 
 in the course of the day. They sold their kits and all 
 they could dispose of — droschkies, horses, spare clothing, and 
 food, by a rude kind of public auction on the spit this morn- 
 ing. Sir Edmund Lyons came down in a small gun-boat at 
 ten o'clock to the beach off the encampment, and went on 
 shore, but remained only a few minutes. The " Triton" received 
 orders to join the " Eoyal Albert," and the " Leopard" took 
 her place, to protect the beach, and direct the landing of stores. 
 The fleet is getting up steam — the small gun-boats are far up 
 in the Bay of Cherson, supported by a vevy strong force of 
 steam frigates and sloops. It is intended, we hear, to occupy 
 the fort of Kinburn, and to put the fortifications in a state of 
 defence. The enclosure will be divided between the Fi-ench and 
 the English; and a portion of the allied troops will be stiitioned 
 inside the present intrenchments on the spit. In order to ascer- 
 tain the position and strength of the enemy towards Cherson, a 
 strong reconnaissance will leave the allied camp early to- 
 morrow, and go out for two days, feeling their way in that 
 direction, in which the ubiquitous Liprandi is said to be con- 
 centrating his forces vf\i\\ the intention of attacking us. He is 
 believed to have about 22,000 men under his command, but on 
 this narrow spit, with a fleet on each flank of the approaches, 
 twice the number M'ould not avail to force the French and 
 English camps. With a month more fine Aveather we might 
 close the campaign by forcing the Russians to burn and blow up
 
 294 THE CAPTURE OF KINBURN. 
 
 both Nicholaieff and Cherson, aud seizing material guarantees 
 for peace in Russia Proper. 
 
 To act against Cherson a large aiiny would be requisite, as 
 the fleet could not with safety and prudence penetrate the 
 mai'shy mouths of the Dnieper, and the road from Kinburn to 
 that place is commanded by a fort, which could not be carried 
 by a coup de main, unless a strong flotilla operated against it. 
 Nicholaieff" is very formidable ; the banks of the Bug are steep 
 and high, the currents devious and strong, and the soil sus- 
 ceptible of being worked into batteries in a few hours. How- 
 ever, to the daring and prompt all things are possible, even 
 success itself. 
 
 About 750 of the Russians will be sent to Spithead direct in 
 the " Vulcan," Captain Van Donop, to-morrow morning. On the 
 whole, they seem "the worst lot" of Muscovite infantry I have 
 seen, and tliey consist of either old men or lads ; the former are 
 fine soldier-like fellows enough, but the latter are stupid, loutish, 
 and diminutive. They availed themselves of theii' licence in the 
 fort to fill all their canteens with "vodka,"and in some instances 
 their stomachs also, and many of them were di'unk when they 
 marched out, but intoxication had the effect of making them 
 extremely amiable and facetious. The officers bore their niis- 
 fijrtune with dignity, but felt it deeply, as was evident fi-om 
 their grave demeanour and stern countenances. Few of them 
 wore decorations, and only one was dressed in full uniform. A 
 Chef de Bataillon or Major, wearing a long light-blue cloak 
 with red collar, who limped along with difficulty, had a good 
 deal of influence over those around him, and kept the drunken 
 soldiers in awe by his look, and a sergeant in a long green 
 frockcoat with yellow facings and stripes, aided him in re- 
 pressing the mirthful disposition of some of the bacchanalians 
 on the line of mai-ch. However, I have said enough about 
 these pi'isoners. 
 
 The Russians, with their usual incendiary propensity, set fire 
 to the fort below Oczakoff", this morning, and retii*ed after blow- 
 ing up the magazines, which went up into the air Avith two 
 heavy explosions at six o'clock. The gun-boats are well 
 advanced towards the mouth of the Bug, and are now engaged 
 sounding, under fire from the shore. There was a reconnaissance 
 this morning, but we saw nothing of the enemy. 
 
 October 19. 
 
 In compliance with the wishes of the French Admiral, Sir
 
 THE FRENCH FLOATING BATTERIES. 295 
 
 Edmund Lyons decided on despatching a squadron, under the 
 orders of Sir Houston Stewart, to co-operate with the French 
 squadi-on under Eear- Admiral Pelion in protectintr the left flank 
 of the allies in a reconnaissance which was to start to-day to* 
 wards Cherson. The utility of this reconnaissance is not quite 
 so apparent, for it is evident we cannot now attack the enemy 
 if he be in force, and if we retire (as we must) he will be 
 encouraged by our retrograde movement. He cannot attack us, 
 no matter how strong in numbers he may be, and when the 
 time comes for action it will be soon enough to reconnoitre. 
 However, Admiral Lyons is at all times most desirous to comply 
 with the requests of our gallant ally. Accordingly, signal was 
 made for " all large gun-boats to join the Rear-Admiral," and the 
 " Triton" was ordered to pilot them in from the anchorage off 
 Kinburn round the spit. Sii' Houston Stewart came on board 
 the " Triton" from the " Eoyal Albert" at noon, and the gun- 
 boats were ordered to follow her. On arriving at the anchorage 
 off Oczakoff Sir Houston Stewart went on board the " Asmodee," 
 and had an interview of half-an-hom-'s duration with Adjniral 
 Pelion ; he afterwards went on board the " Valorous," where his 
 flag is still hoisted, and the signal was made — " French Admiral 
 does not wish to go till to-morrow," and the expedition is con- 
 sequently postponed. 
 
 A deserter came off the night before last from Oczakoff, who 
 states that there are 14,000 infantry and 3000 cavalry encamped 
 within a league of the town, and that there are 15,000 men ou 
 the south side of Nicholaieff. The Russians blew up the forfc 
 (Nikolaev) off Oczakoff because they saw from the practice of 
 om* mortar boats that if they did not destroy it we shoiold 
 sm-ely do so. 
 
 The bomb-vessels were engaged at the distance of 2500 yards 
 from the forts. The fii-st-class gun-boats, such as the " Aitow," 
 " Lynx," " Beagle," " Snake," &c., were emploj'ed nearer the 
 forts in drawing off the fire from the bomb-vessels, in case the 
 enemy directed their long-range guns against them, and in dis- 
 tracting their attention from the fl-oating batteries ; and those 
 three batteries, which, to the credit of France and to our shame, 
 our gallant ally had the opportunity of testing so practically, 
 were anchored at the distance of 800 yards from Kinburn, and 
 opened their guns first against the Russian batteries. The 
 success of the experiment is complete. The shot of the enemy 
 at that short range had no effect iipon them ! The balls hopped
 
 296 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPEK. 
 
 back off their sides, without leaving any impression, save such 
 as a pistol hall makes on the target in a shooting-gallery. The 
 shot could be heard distinctly striking the sides of the battery 
 with a " shai'p smack," and then could be seen flying back, 
 splashing the water at various angles according to the direction 
 they took, till they dropped exhausted. On one battery the 
 dints of sixty-three shots are visible against the plates of one 
 side, not counting the marks of others which have glanced along 
 the decks or struck the edges and angles of tlie bulwarks, and 
 all the damage that has been done to it is the slight starting of 
 three rivets. The men are all below, except a look-out man, in 
 a shot-proof box on deck, and the casualties arose fi'om a chance 
 shot which came through the ports. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPEE. 
 
 A flag of truce — Nicholaieff— Kinburn Spit — Its defences — Mouth of the 
 Bug— A stratagem — Necessary precautions — Glare of fires on Kinburn 
 Spit — French niissa soleniiis — Horrors of War — Return of the English 
 gun-boats — Arrival of Sir Edmund Lyons — StanislafT — The admirals 
 part company — Graiule promencule miUtaire — A Sirocco — Kinburn made 
 secure — An expedition — The rafts — The dockyards of Nicholaieff — 
 Arsenal at Nicholaieff — Comments in the English journals upon the 
 author's account of the attack on the Redan. 
 
 October 20. 
 
 The French Eear-Admiral, in one of the small gun-boats, 
 •weighed early this morning, and stood up Cherson Bay with 
 ihe lighter vessels of his squadron before the English Admiral 
 was aware of his intention. Our smaller gun-boats started in 
 the same direction soon after dawn, and Rear- Admiral Sir 
 Houston Stewart, having sent off his despatches to Sir Edmund 
 Lyons, hoisted the signal for the large gun-boats and steam-sloops 
 under his command to weigh anchor. At nine o'clock, with his 
 flag flying in the " Stromboli," he led the way towards the con- 
 fluence of the Bug and Dnieper. He was followed by the 
 *' Gladiator," " Spiteful," and " Triton" steamers, and by the 
 •"Wrangler," "Snake," and "Viper" gim-boats ; and a whole 
 shoal of gun-boats, small and large — " Cracker," " Grinder," 
 "Clinker," " Fancy," &c. — were some miles in advance, cruising, 
 in company with the French squadron, among the intricate 
 ehoals which guard the entrances to the Dnieper.
 
 A FLAG OP TRUCE. 297 
 
 Before we weighed in the morning a French boat left the 
 Eear-Aclmirars ship with a large flag of truce for OczakofT. 
 She carried the reply of the allies to the request sent by the 
 Russian general under a flag of truce the previous day, and 
 informed him that the "major-general who had commanded in 
 Kinhurn se parte a merveillc, that forty-five wounded Russians 
 were in the French ambulances, and that the French general 
 regretted he could not state the names of the officers who were 
 prisoners," but he did not say whether that was owing to any 
 difficulties in orthogi'aphy or not. As the boat neared the 
 beach, an officer, followed by two soldiers, came from the town 
 to meet them. One of the men bore a tremendous flag of truce — 
 there could be no Hango mistake about it ; he had a large table- 
 cloth suspended from a long pole, imder the weight of which he 
 staggered as he walked. The boat touched the beach, and, with 
 much formal bowing and marti;d civilities, the missive was 
 handed to the Russian, who retired with his tablecloth waving 
 behind him up the hill, and was lost to sight amid the houses. 
 
 The weighty objects in the ruined fort of Nikolaev are 
 removed, and, owing to the fresh breeze or the renewed efforts 
 of the Russians, the fire in the broken mass of stonework and 
 timber spread, and thi-ew out columns of white smoke this 
 morning. Two old priests scrambled down to the ruins of the 
 fort, and, with their flowing robes and long beards, seemed like 
 ancient prophets invoking maledictions — as no doubt tliey were — 
 upon the fleet. Oczakoff'is to be left untouched ; indeed, we could 
 do very little with it, as we should not be in a position to hold 
 the fort against the large force which could be moved against it, 
 and they could not be reached by the guns of the fleet, owing to 
 the shoal water. Thus they might hammer away at the gar- 
 rison from the commanding ridges in rear of the town. Besides, 
 the possession of Kinburn is enough for us, and secures all the 
 objects we have in view. Above the long low Spit on which 
 the fort stands we could see the hulls of the men-of-wiu* high 
 above the water on our right hand, and the high cliffs of the 
 steppes of Cherson on our left, the latter tapering away in the 
 distance to the promontories of the Bug. The steam squadron, 
 anchored inside Kinburn Spit, could cross fii-e with the vessels 
 in deeper v/ater on the other side. In order to avail ourselves 
 of that advantage the troops are drawn inside the fort and 
 nearer to the extremity of the Spit, so that an enemy marching 
 to attack the position would be exposed to a terrible raking fire
 
 298 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPER. 
 
 along the whole of his front, and from the fleet on both his 
 flanks and centre. The steppe on the other side presents a 
 uniform face of clifl", varying from fitly to 150 feet in height 
 towards the sea. In some places it is precipitous, but it frequently 
 slopes away abruptly or is seamed by ravines and water-courses. 
 The water is very shallow at the base of the clili's, and occa- 
 sionally there is an extensive beach of sand and sand spits beneath 
 them, which are inhabited by a few fishermen, and are covered 
 with wild fowl, swans, geese, ducks, and cormorants. The most 
 prominent objects on the edge of this steppe, of which little can 
 be seen from the deck of a ship, are the telegraph stations, 
 farm-houses, of great extent, herds grazing, Cossacks, and wind- 
 mills. On ascending to the mast-head the steppe is seen extend- 
 ing in vast sheets to the horizon, its monotonous level being 
 little diversified by the few tumuli and deep water-courses 
 visible for many leagues. The quantity of cattle, of poultry, 
 and of corn and hay in stack, is prodigious, but the farm-houses 
 are wide apart. At intervals of four miles or so a village, 
 consisting of whitewashed houses, may be seen each with a 
 church so like the other that it is hard to believe they are not 
 built of pasteboard by some ingenious Nuremburger. The tele- 
 graphs are all alike, and are built substantially of stone. It is 
 strange that we have not destroyed them, as our vessels ranged 
 along the coast. They enable the enemy to anticipate our 
 movements, report every change of station, every appearance, 
 every event, and to prepare in some measure at least for our 
 operations. Captain Inglefield, of the " Firebrand," asked per- 
 mission to knock them over, but for some reason or other the 
 admirals did not consider it politic or advisable to grant this, 
 and the telegraphs remain intact. Perhaps as they stand on 
 lofty clifis, it would not be very easy to hit them from the sea, 
 but the expenditure of ammunition might possibly be ju.stified 
 on the plea of putting an end to rapid comnmnication along the 
 seaboard of Southern Russia, and of making the Cossack hence- 
 forth their quickest intelligencer. We noticed nothing remark- 
 able on the coast, beyond the features I have already indicated, 
 excepting a strong corps of cavalry on the beach watering 
 their horses, and a cohunn of infantry advancing from behind 
 Oczakoff towards Nicholaieff. Considerable numbers of cattle 
 were grazing all over the plains, which the Cossacks or the 
 owners were collecting into great herds, and driving off from the 
 vicinity of the shore. As we approached the mouth of the Bug
 
 MOUTH OF THE BUG. 299 
 
 the water became of a gTeen colour, tmd was covered with a 
 scum of spawn and vegetable matter like a duck pond. The 
 mouth is about five miles wide, the banks steep and high, and 
 studded with farm-houses. In entering we observed a portion 
 of the French squadron coming down the river, and the smoke 
 of the light vessels, which were hull down, rose up ii'om the 
 horizon towards the Dnieper. 
 
 The French Admiral assured Sir Houston Stewart that he had 
 been up to the spit in the river, which extends from the western 
 bank for some distance into the stream, at about seven miles 
 from Ajiojhiol point on its western entrance, and that he had 
 not seen anything there. As there was nothing else to be done, 
 the Admiral resolved to have a look for himself, and accordingly 
 weighed in the " Stromboli," which was followed by the " Spit- 
 fii-e," the " Grinder," and "Cracker," small gun-boats. The 
 expedition proceeded slowly up the river. The banks are high 
 on both sides, and the brown steppe, studded with herds, farm- 
 houses, and Cossacks, presents no object of interest. About 
 three miles up, on the left-hand bank, we came upon a small 
 village, and one of the largest farms I ever saw. Five miles 
 up, on the right-hand bank, there is another village with 
 two pretty churches. There are guard stations and look- 
 out posts on both sides, as usual. The river is tliree or four 
 miles broad up to the spit, where it narrows considerably. On 
 both sides the cliff is upwards of 100 feet high, and can scarcely 
 be commanded by the guns of a ship. However, it was ad- 
 visable to ascertain what defences existed on the lower part of 
 the river till it contracted into within range from both banks. 
 The " Cracker" and " Grinder" went on ahead, the " Stromboli" 
 followed with the Admiral's flag flying, and the " Spitfire" came 
 along slowly, busily engaged in her indefatigable labour of 
 sounding, and probing, and angling every bit of the earth's face 
 and of the waters under the earth. We glided merrily along, 
 examining bearings and farmyards at our leisure. Above the 
 Spit there is a high bank, ascending to the steppe behind it, 
 and at the distance of some hundred yards from the edge there 
 is a tumulus on the steppe, behind which I saw some Russian 
 artillery at a considerable distance as we were running along 
 the coast. The "Cracker" had run on ahead, and the "Grinder" 
 was just drawing on parallel with this high bank — we were all 
 examining it — one officer was saying to the other, " Well ! I 
 wonder the Russians have not got a battery on that cliff" —
 
 300 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPER. 
 
 when from a seam in its side, parallel with the watei-, a puff of 
 white smoke spirted out, and the rush of a shot followed, and 
 was terminated hy a splash in the water close to the side of the 
 " Grinder." " Tell the ' Grmder' he maj- give him a shot in 
 reply," cried Admiral Stewart, and little " Grinder," with more 
 valoiu- than discretion, at once put down his helm and ran in to 
 land, di-awing across the " Stromholi," at which the enemy had 
 opened another gun at the moment, hut this shot also fell short. 
 As the drum heat to quarters the men rushed on deck in a high 
 state of delight ; the berthings were removed, and the guns got 
 readj' for action in a few moments ; but " Grinder" being intent 
 on doing his devoir got in our way, throwing dust and smoke 
 in our faces, so that at last the fatal edict went forth and 
 "Grinder's" I'ecal was hoisted. And now the guns on the top 
 of the cliffs, which Avere only light field-pieces, opened ; none of 
 the shot from the Russians had yet fallen closer than twenty 
 yards to us, so that all on board were in a meriy mood as the 
 " Stromholi" slowly craned over towards the bank. The work 
 fi'om which the Russians fired their heavier guns was a trench 
 in the cliff, almost half-way up its side, and looked very insigni- 
 ficant, but when you came to squint along a gun, and could only 
 see four little black eyes staring out at you over a line of earth 
 which did not seem three inches high to your sight, you began 
 to understand the difficulty of striking such objects at the dis- 
 tance of a mile. " Try 2500 yards !" The gun was trained. 
 At the words " Well ! Fire !" out spouted the flame and smoke, 
 and the iron globe, whose cui-ve you could trace through the 
 air, hurtled with the peculiar and nerve-shaking hiss of its race, 
 right over the earthwork, knocking up a pillar of black earth 
 from the crest of the hill, and bounding far away to the reai*. 
 The enemy replied. We heard the shot coming right at us, 
 and, as it flew over Captain Spratt's head, who was stationed at 
 the foretop, looking out for shoals, and plunged into the water 
 500 or 600 yards beyond us, it became evident that the Muscov 
 had been playing the deep game of firing shot to entice us well 
 under his battery. Now he was trying extreme range, and had 
 heavier guns than we thought. The " Spitfire," " Cracker," 
 and "Grinder," were coming into play, and the former two 
 made some excellent practice, and struck the earth right and 
 left of the battery. " Stromholi" kept edging down nearer, and 
 the captains of the guns were all with eye intently gazing along 
 their guns. " Try two thousand yards." Away flew the iron
 
 A BRISK ENGAGEMENT. 301 
 
 messenger again, but he only told the Eussians to bob theii' 
 heads and keep out of his way, and passed behind them. The 
 field-pieces now took to firing shell, and studded the air above 
 us with smoke-clouds, and the angry hum of the splinters was 
 heard once more, but for the most part they were too light to 
 reach us. Whiz ! — right across our crowded deck comes another 
 round shot, and plashes into the water over our counters. The 
 long gun at the bow sends a shot in reply which goes right into 
 them this time, at 1700 yards, and the " Spitfire" follows the 
 example. Whiz ! whiz ! two shot, one after the other at the 
 " Stromboli," one dashing the water up in a pillar close to her 
 sides, the other cutting the jib foot-rope. The smoke obscures 
 the view, but it is quite clear that the Russians are keeping 
 close behind their works. The last reply from our guns was 
 nearer and better directed than the first. However, there was 
 no object to be gained by continiung a contest in which it would 
 have been pitiable indeed to lose one man. That there was no 
 intention of going up to Nicholaieff" with a steam-sloop, a sur- 
 vepng sloop, and two small gun-boats, I need not say, and had 
 the enemy been driven out from the point ten times a-day they 
 could have returned at any time, and have constructed just such 
 another flying defence as that with which we were engaged. 
 Indeed, the Admu-al would not have replied to the enemy's fire 
 at all, but that Jack is dissatisfied if not permitted to return a 
 shot whenever one is sent at him. It would never have done to 
 turn back without any reply at all, but, having gained the only 
 object in view — that of ascertaining how far small vessels could 
 go up the river without opposition to take soundings, &c. — Sir 
 Houston Stewart resolved to return, and, with a parting salute 
 fi'om our guns, the " Stromboli" set her jib, slewed round, and 
 steamed slowly down the river. The enemy fired two guns one 
 after the other, but the "Spitfire," "Grinder," and "Cracker" 
 soon silenced them, and a parting salute from the latter, a shell, 
 fell right into the earthwork, burst, and appeared to do the Rus- 
 sians a good deal of mischief. As we returned, the " Spiteful," 
 "Triton," and "Arrow," which had remained off" the mouth of 
 the Bug — an unpleasant position, which will be appreciated by 
 London lodgers — were seen steaming full butt up to us, as they 
 apprehended they could do some good and help us out of a 
 scrape ; but their zeal was not gratified, and the emulative gun- 
 ners had not a chance of doing anything. The little flotilla 
 returned to its anchorage off the Bug, and remained there for
 
 302 THE BUG AND THE DXIEPER. 
 
 the night, witliout the smallest apprehensions that the enemy 
 could do us any hai-m from Nicholaieflf. Mr. Brooker, one of 
 the active and intelligent officers of the " Spitfire" — and that is 
 indeed saying much, where all are so ahle and so willing — 
 volunteered to go in one of the small gun-boats (the " Cracker") 
 right up to Xicholaieff, after dusk, to ascertain the force and 
 position of the enemy's batteries; but it was judged inexpedient 
 to hazard the loss of a gun-boat, which would be made a subject 
 of great rejoicing and triumph to the enemy, while the success 
 of the experiment would not be of much importance, inasmuch 
 as we were not in a position to attack and occupy Nicholaieff. 
 Had Marshal Pelissier listened to the eai-nest demands of Sir 
 Edmund Lyons for 15,000 or 20,000 men, there v/onld, indeed, 
 have been some utility in such a reconnaissance, for the opera- 
 tions of om* steam iioet might have mystified the enemy so com- 
 pletely as to enable us to land a force and by a coup de main to 
 destroy, though not to occupy, Xicholaieif. It appears that 
 from the Spit below the confluence of the Ingul and Bug the 
 town is 5000 yards distant, and is invisible, so that it would be 
 necessary for a fleet showing a very narrow fi'out and in very 
 shoal and difficult water to force batteries, booms, sunken vessels, 
 gun-boats, and get round into the Ingul itself, before they could 
 fire a shot on the place ; and in the mean time every vessel 
 ■would have to rim the gauntlet of high banks lined with rifle- 
 men which then- guns could not reach. Sir Houston Stewart, 
 under any circumstances, would scarcely have been justified in 
 allowing an experiment of the kind, more especially as its success 
 could not have led to any gratifying result ; but it would not have 
 been in his province to give permission, inasmuch as Sir Edmund 
 Lyons was almost within sight. Soon after the flotilla anchored, a 
 large convoy was observed parallel to the river, proceeding along 
 the east bank towai'ds Nicholaiefi", and the " Spitfire" signalled 
 for permission to go in and shell them. In the absence of the 
 Admiral, who had not yet cast anchor, the request was not com- 
 plied with, and, indeed, the evening had advanced too far to 
 permit of her doing any good. The night passed quietly, all 
 the ordinary precautious in presence of an euemy being strictly 
 adhered to. 
 
 Ociober 21. 
 Late last night the glare of fires was seen on the Kinburn 
 Spit, near the south mouth of the Dnieper, and, although the 
 gun-boats are operating in that dii-ection, it most likely pro-
 
 OBSERVANCE OP THE SABBATH. 303 
 
 ceeded from the Cossacks, who are busily occupied burning the 
 produce of the Russian peasants, lest it should fall into the 
 hands of the enemy. 
 
 The French Admiral, in one of the gun-boats, attended by 
 two others, went away during the night. This morning the 
 wind blew strong down the river, and raised a rough tideway, 
 which was ti'oublesome to small boats. The atmosphere grew 
 cold and grey, with immense refraction. Dark clouds of smoke 
 arose from over the land to the S.S.E., which would indicate 
 that the Cossacks were still at their work on the Spit. Church 
 pendants w^ere hoisted in the forenoon, and Divine Service, 
 according to the Church of England, was duly celebrated in the 
 confluence of the Bug and Dnieper, for the fii-st time since 
 Christianity blessed the earth, and within sight of the spires of 
 many Greek orthodox churches. The French had a little missa 
 solennis of their own. At 230, thi'ee large and one small gun- 
 boat got up steam and weighed. They stood straight \ip the 
 river, and great was our excitement lest they should think it 
 necessary to silence the battery which we had left with its teeth 
 di'awn, if not its tongue tied, yesterday. Before they started, 
 and just after church-service, Sir Houston Stewart, having sig- 
 nalled for an oiRcer of the " Spitfire " to come on board, went 
 off in the " Cracker," attended by the " Grinder," to examine 
 the coast to the S.S.E., and to endeavour to ascertain the cause 
 of the numerous fires, indicated by pillars of smoke in that 
 direction. They were soon lost in the haze to the southward. 
 In vain they tried to find out the position of the troops 
 who were supposed to be advancing along the Spit, to destroy 
 all the forage and provision in their way for forty miles, so as 
 to make the country a barren waste, and prevent the enemy 
 marching towards the fort without taking with them supplies. 
 However harsh this measm-e may appear, it is a necessary 
 operation of war. When Sydney Smith drew his terrible pictm-e 
 of John Bull's afflictions in a probable invasion — corn-ricks 
 blazing on every side — sows of the best breed running about 
 with their throats cut, and the parson's lady invested by an 
 amorous Gaul — he must have had a prophetic inkling of the 
 operations of our fleet in the Bay of Cherson, always excepting 
 the investment of the lady, for the priests of the Greek rite are 
 not given to marriage. So the Admiral returned, having 
 disturbed immense quantities of wild-fowl, which liave frequented 
 the banks of the Borysthenes since remotest ancient history.
 
 304 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPER. 
 
 Meantime, our friends and allies sidled up to tlie Spit, and 
 perhaps they had some I'aint notion that they should succeed in 
 destroying the hattery which their ijood friends and allies the 
 English liad not utterly pulverized the day before. The day 
 was very dull, as I have said, and the north wind created an 
 immense refraction, so that the end of the clifi' appeared to be 
 lifted out of the water, and the vessels to have wavering hulls 
 and quivering masts as they advanced, just as one would see 
 thcni through the haze from a hot walk in a July day. On 
 they went, however, and at last they arrived ofi" the Spit, 
 and the enemy opened fire on them as before. The small gun- 
 boat stood bravely in within 1500 yards of the shore, the others 
 anchored at 1800, and all engaged the guns in the breastwork 
 very sharply. Their shot flew over the cliff, hit its face, knocked 
 the water at its base into clouds of spray, and the Russians 
 struck the water behind, before, at this side, and at that side of 
 the vessel, but never hit mast, spar, or rope, and so the fight 
 continued ; but the French aver they dismounted one gun at 
 least, and drew down a great body of the enemy before they 
 retired. This they did after haif-an-hour's dalliance with the 
 Kussians, and then they anchored off the mouth of the Bug, 
 close to us once more. Meantime we had seen a sight, which 
 led us to believe that His Majesty the Czar, or some of his 
 Imperial family, was actually honoui'ing our little squadron by 
 a minute inspection. Perhaps he was thinking hov/ they might 
 run for a marine Cesarewitch. It might, indeed, have been 
 after all only a Governor of Cherson whom we saw, but about 
 mid-day there certainly did appear, on the east bank of the Bug, 
 some great man on a big, dark horse, followed by ten or twelve 
 officers, mounted, and some few orderlies. This august personage 
 rode over to the Cossack post, dismounted, and honoured us by 
 a minute inspection, which he interrupted from time to time by 
 a few words to those around him. Presently a Cossack came 
 galloping across the steppe at full speed, right to the group of 
 cavaliers. AVlien he approached he dismounted, and, walking 
 to the great surveyor of our navy, knelt down, and appeared to 
 kiss his feet, as he handed him a despatch. The great man read 
 the missive, mounted his horse, and rode off to a neighbouring 
 post, followed by his suite. The next time we saw him he was 
 visiting the Cossack post higher up the river, after which he 
 proceeded along the road towards Nicholaieff. Some time alter 
 the French boats retired, the English gun-boats came in sight,
 
 A FRIENDLY OFFER. 305 
 
 and in the early evening tliey anchored in their old place, and 
 Admiral Stewart left the " Cracker," and returned to the 
 " Stroinboli." At niglit strict watch was kept on board the 
 little deet. Fire-ships are not much to he feared by steamers, 
 but still the wind was strong down from Nicholaieft*, and the 
 Eussians for once might attempt to do something, and so there 
 were look-out men placed fore and aft, and armed sentinels, and 
 loaded carronades, and with these precautions we went to sleep — 
 in the Avaters, for the time being, of Her Majesty the Queen and 
 of His Imperial Majesty Louis Napoleon. 
 
 October 22. 
 
 The wind chopped round and blew from the westward, and 
 somewhat from the southward up the Bug. At ten o'clock 
 Admiral Stewart went on board the " Spitfire," and proceeded 
 southwards, towards the Kinbiu-n Spit, to look out for the 
 troops, and to discover the cause of the fires, which were still 
 blazing along the horizon. As he bore away on his course, a 
 French gun-boat came close to him with a despatch for the 
 Admiral, from Admiral Pellion, in which he very politely 
 and handsomely placed at the disposal of Sir Houston Stewart 
 several chaloupes cannon ierex lying off the mouths of the 
 Dnieper, in case the latter felt inclined to destroy certain large 
 boats on the beach below Stanislaff. The tone and spirit of 
 Admiral Pellion's letter were admirably polite and considerate. 
 The French officer who brought it stated that in the little 
 affair between the gun-boats and earthwork yesterday they 
 had dismounted one gun, and suffered no loss ; and he pro- 
 ceeded on his way in his boat to rejoin his chaloupe, after a 
 hearty shake of the hand from the Admiral. As the "' Spitfire" 
 was forging ahead on her course, a small craft, witli an admiral's 
 flag red at the mizen, was seen at the horizon. It could be no 
 other than Sir Edmund Lyons. The dull echo of the guns, 
 and the distant scent of gunpowder, had enticed him into our 
 waters to see what was going on, and his flag was flying in 
 the little "Danube." IMany of the captains of the fleet were 
 with him — Sir T. Pasley, (^aptain Jones, Captain Mends, 
 Captain King, Captain IM'Cleverty, Captain Talbot, Captain 
 Hastings, Captain Edgeil, Captain Loring, Captain Hay, Cap- 
 tain Goldsmith, Captiiin Inglefield, Captain Buckle, Captain 
 Giflard ; his secretary, Mr. Cleeve ; his Flag-Lieutenant 
 Lyons, &c. The Admiral sent off his barge to the " Spit- 
 fire," and Sir Houston Stewart, Captain Spratt, Commander 
 
 VOL. II. X
 
 306 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPER. 
 
 Cowper Coles, Mr. Brooker, &c. went on board the " Danube,"' 
 Avhich immediately went away towards Kin'ourn Spit, aceom- 
 panied by the " Spitfii-e." They went within half-a-mile ol' the 
 marais, whieh binds the coast with a belt of long deep rushes, 
 but not a soldier was visible, with the exception of one solitary 
 Cossack. At 2'30 the admirals returned from theu- cruise, and 
 stood in towai'ds Stanislaff, which the French admiral is anxious 
 to burn, particidarly on account of the posts on the beach. As 
 they approached, it was clear- the enemy thought two British 
 admirals did not fly their flags together for nothing. A strong 
 body of infantry was drawn up on the heights among the 
 houses, which were, no doubt, filled with riflemen. A very 
 considerable force of field-artillery was collected in the rear, 
 in case the admirals and post-captains determined to land and 
 take Stanislaif by assault, or the " Danube " and " Spitfire " 
 attempt to bombard the place. It was really wonderfid to see 
 that the Russians had erected a solid compact-looking sand 
 battery with five embrasures, on the sand-bank below the town, 
 where no trace of such a work existed twenty-four hours pre- 
 viously. The admirals here parted company ; Su" E. Lyons 
 returned in the " Danube" to the fleet, and Sir H. Stewart 
 steamed away in the " Spitfire" to the anchorage of the Bug, and 
 afterwards went on board the " Stromboli." At eight o'clock 
 the French gun-boat came back and anchored near us. There 
 were some traces of the troops at Skadovska, about thirteen 
 miles from Kinburn, to-day, as black columns of smoke rose 
 up from the Spit, in that direction. This may be the work 
 of the Cossacks. But the reconnaissance of the admirals failed 
 in detecting the march of the soldiers. It is understood that 
 all the men of both armies, excepting those required for working 
 parties, are employed on this r/rande promenade milifaire, in 
 Avhich the fleet is obliged to be too far from the coast to render 
 them much assistance. 
 
 ^faveinbrr 3. 
 
 For the hist four days it has been blowing a sirocco, which 
 painfull}- afl'ects one just returned from nearly a month's trip at 
 sea. The air is hot and heavy, and has become impregnated 
 with most offensive and irritating dust, which attacks nearly 
 every sense at once. The thermometer has ranged i'rom 75 deg. 
 to 80 deg. since V/ednesday up to this date. Late on Wednes- 
 day evening the " Triton," " Odin," and " Firebrand," the latter 
 two with mortar and gun-boats in tow, arrived, after rather a
 
 THE GARRISON AT KINBURN. 307 
 
 rough passage, at Kazatch, Next morning the " Ti-iton" went 
 round to Balaklava, and in the course of Thursday a number of 
 French and English vessels, with troops and stores on board, 
 arrived, one after the other, and anchored off Kamiesch and 
 Kazatch. The wind blew so hard that it was considered inex- 
 pedient to land the troops. Yesterday all the ditferent portions 
 of the fleet had arrived at their anchorage, but the wind still 
 blew strongly on shore, and no disembarkation took place that I 
 am aware of, nor has the brigade under Brigadier-General 
 Spencer rejoined the Fourth Division up to the time at which I 
 am now writing. 
 
 Kinburn is quite secured against the attack of any forces the 
 enemy can bring against it, covered completely as it is by the 
 guns of the formidable flotilla we have left behind to protect it. 
 The garrison is strong ; prudential reasons induce one to keep 
 the exact force secret, but the Russians must know as well as 
 we do how many men the fort will contain with convenience. 
 The French troops will occupy the fort, but a small body of 
 English will be left to guard the flag which waves along with 
 the tricolour from its ramparts, and tbe task of its defence will 
 be shared with our allies by a powerful English squadron. They 
 have worked with extraordinary energy to repair the place. All 
 the curtains are rebuilt, the ruins cleared away, the damaged 
 gvms removed, and ships' fine guns put in their place ; the fosse 
 cleared out and deepened, the palisades repaired, the south- 
 ea.stern gateway filled up, and its approaches covered by a strong 
 ravelin ; the crest of the parapets repaired solidly and well with 
 fascines and earthwork, the Russian guns rendered efficient, the 
 casemates cleared out and filled with stores or adapted as barracks, 
 and the interior buildings in course of reconstruction and reno- 
 vation. The batteries on the Spit are to be destroyed, and that 
 process is easily eflected by removing the massive beams which 
 support the sand and the few gabions used in their construction. 
 The reconnaissance which started the week before last did very 
 little, except burn all the stores and houses which could render 
 service to the enemy for seven or eight miles towards Cherson, 
 and therefore I the less regret being in the mouth of the Bug 
 at the time it started, and being unable to accompany it. The 
 total strength of the expedition was 4541 men and 279 horses. 
 On the first day they only marched to a village two miles 
 beyond the place of disembarkation on the Spit, the French 
 being in another village a mile in advance. On the second day 
 x2
 
 308 THE BUG ANT5 THE DNIEPER. 
 
 the men remained inactive. On the third day the force maixhed 
 to another viUage three miles further down the Spit, which was 
 completely deserted, except by an old man, his wife, and a 
 peasant who was found up a chimney. Two of the Cossack 
 duiianicrs came in and surrendered to the troops. On the fourth 
 day the force returned, and having laid waste the country, and 
 captured and slain immense quantities of poultry," geese, pigs, 
 &c., supplies for another day remained unconsumed. The 
 Trench were about 2200 strong. One drummer was shot in the 
 leg by an unskilful pig-shooter, and bullets were flying in all 
 dii-ections in search of geese, pigs, or cocks and hens, whenever 
 the force came to a halt. None of the enemy molested them, 
 but a body of 200 horse watched them closely, retreating before 
 them as they advanced, and following them up on their retm-n. 
 They were saluted with some shots from a French gun-boat, 
 which iujcompanied the expedition as closely as possible, but 
 still kept a long way from the shore. The rafts are all safe off 
 Kinburn, and they are no insignificant prize just at this moment, 
 when such efforts are being made to put the Bug in a state of 
 defence. 
 
 The dockyai'ds of Nicholaieff are supplied with timber and 
 wood from the Government of Ligtewski, which contains several 
 large forests of fine trees. These are situate chiefly in the 
 neighbourhood of Minsk, Mohilev, and Vitebsk. The wood is 
 floated down the Dnieper to Cherson in rafts firmly clamped 
 and bound together, with strong and substantial huts upon them 
 for the navigators. Each raft is generally composed of 4000 
 large trunks of oak trees, which are covered with knees and 
 smaller pieces roughly shaped after drawings and instructions 
 sent to the cutters. This is done that the timber may be made 
 available at once for use in the dockyards. After being floated 
 as far as the current will take them down the Dnieper, they are 
 met by the Government steamers outside or inside the bar ort" 
 the mouths of that river, and thus towed up to Nicholaieff'. 
 Some small steamers must be kept at Nicholaieff, at all events at 
 this moment, but they have never stirred, nor have we seen any 
 traces of them in the Bug. Cherson was the great ship-build- 
 ing and maritime yard for the Black Sea fleet in former days, 
 but the difficulty of building large ships there, or rather of 
 getting them away when once they were built, on account of 
 the shallowness of the water on the bar of the Dni(;per, forced 
 the Russian Government to remove then- establishments to
 
 VALUE OP THE KAFTS. 309 
 
 Nicholaieff, on the confluence of tlie Bug and of the Ingul. The 
 bar of the Bug has a depth of eighteen or nineteen feet ; the bar 
 of the Dnieper has only eight feet water upon it in ordinary 
 seasons. The ships of the line are built at Nicholaieff, but it is 
 not improbable that small vessels and frigates of light draught 
 may still bo constructed at Cherson. The arsenal at Nicholaieff 
 is very extensive, but its principal supplies of timber came from 
 the Dnieper, and the loss of these two rafts will be no incon- 
 siderable injury. Fine oak timber such as they contain is very 
 dear and scarce in Russia. The timber in the casemated Spit 
 Battery, and the expense of erecting it, came to no less a sum 
 than 45,000 silver roubles, or 7500Z. English currency. It re- 
 mains to be seen if Austria can supply Russia with wood, as 
 she already furnishes her with oil, groceries, and manufactures 
 of all kinds ; that is, they are brought to Southern Russia 
 through the Austrian provinces. 
 
 Sir Edmund Lyons has presented one of the rafts to the 
 French — an act of courtesy and consideration which our polite 
 allies no doubt estimate at its full value. Their dimensions are 
 as follows : — The first is 420 feet long by 63 feet wide, and is 
 6 feet deep. The second is nearly the same length as the first, 
 54 feet broad ; it grounded in eight feet water. At a rough 
 calculation, the two rafts contain 90,000 cubic feet of the finest 
 timber, and the present made by the English fleet to the 
 French, through our Commander-in-Chief, cannot be estimated 
 at a lower value than 20,000Z. ; at least, if the timber was in 
 England, it would be well worth the money, for the majority of 
 the balks, sjiars, and centre pieces composing it are of the very 
 finest white oak. 
 
 The English journals contain, I perceive, many comments on 
 a statement published in my correspondence describing the ill- 
 fated attack on the Redan on the 8th of September, in which 
 the Commander-in-Chief, the Quartermaster-General, and the 
 General of Engineers, were represented as being in the second 
 parallel, sheltering themselves as well as they could from the 
 effects of the dust and of the bitter cold wind which blew 
 throughout the day. Now, it is very far from my intention to 
 expose the Generals to ridicule. General Simpson same out here 
 as chief of the staff to ease Lord Raglan of a load of duties 
 ■which pi'essed too heavily upon him, and to nev;tralize the acids 
 in the Quartermaster-General and the Adjutant-General's De- 
 partments. When Lord Raglan died, the command was thrust
 
 310 THE BUG AND THE DNIEPER, 
 
 upon General Simpson, and he who had served for many anxious 
 years, feeiin<^ lie was no lonijjer the stout soldier that had won 
 renown for his unaristocratic name in the Peninsula, or as an. 
 experienced General, had been regarded as the only successor to 
 a Kapier in India, made representations to the Government at 
 home which did credit to his modesty and humility, if not to 
 his judgment. In I'act, he begged of them to place the command 
 in other hands. Well, the Government refused to do so. 
 They left General Simpson Commander-iu-Chief of our army in 
 spite of himself, and in defiance of his own diffident remon- 
 strances. Left ? no, but forced him — the round peg, as he 
 declared himself to be — into the square hole ; and now they are 
 astonished forsooth that the peg did not fit ! Again, is there 
 any good ground for attacking one whose business it is to tell all 
 that is interesting to the British public for saying what the 
 Generals did, where they were placed, and how they appeared ? 
 I cannot answer the question, but it strikes me, if it be answered 
 in the affirmative, the respondent mast be the last of the Pro- 
 tectionists — the Don Quixote of " sham," the champion of 
 humbug, and the high priest of national delusion. Why is the 
 writer to be attacked ? Because he exposed these distinguished 
 officers to ridicule and calumny. What, is not a General a 
 human being ? If he is cold, must he alone not wear a cloak ? 
 if sick, must he alone not avail himself of a litter ? if storm- 
 driven, must he alone bear its peltings with uncovered ears ? 
 Are " distinguished officers" to be always in full uniform — in 
 cocked hats, epaulettes, orders, and jackboots, shouting " Follow 
 me !" to their legions, or taking snuff" a la Gomersall and 
 Napoleon in extreme military crises in front of their battalions? 
 If they are, they ought not to be j sui-ely, if they ought to be, 
 they are not.
 
 WHY ODESSA WAS SPARED. 311 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 SEBASTOPOL ONCE 310EE. 
 
 Ufore about Kinbiirn — How Odessa may be reduced — Winter at Kinburn — 
 Captain Sherard Osborne's flotilla in the Sea of Azofl"— Arabat Kaffa, 
 or Tlieodoi^ia — Tlie Peninsula of Kertch — Another expedition advo- 
 cated — Alarm in Nicholaiuff — Return of the admirals — Return of the 
 " Hi.chflyer" from Circassia — Russian plans and manceuvres — Differences 
 of opinion amongst naval and military commanders — Good under- 
 standing between French and English generals remains inviolate — The 
 English force — Its excellent condition — Aspirations — Locomotives — 
 Sir \V. J. Codrington's military career — Probable retirement of Sir 
 Richard Airey — His successor. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, JSiovemher 3. 
 
 When the fleet was off Odessa, the advice of the highest person 
 in France on the project of bombarding the town was sought by 
 the French Admiral, and it is believed that his reply implied a 
 " radical opposition" to any such pi'oceeding, nor was our 
 Admiral authorised by the home authorities to attack Odessa 
 unless he was certain of success. Sir Edmund Lyons and 
 Admiral Bruat have acted all along in the most perfect accord, 
 but there has been this diSiculty in their mutual relations, that 
 Admiral Lyons is not under the orders of the British Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of the army, while Admiral Bruat is directly 
 vmder the control of Marshal Pelissier, and it is known that the 
 latter is opposed to any operations which would require large 
 detachments from the French army. It was proposed at one 
 time to send in a flag of truce to Odessa with some such pro- 
 position as this to the Governor — " Are you the Governor of ,a 
 commercial town or of a military station ? If you say Odessa 
 is purely a commercial town, destroy your forts, abandon your 
 efibrts to fortify it, deliver up your gun-boats, if any, and we 
 promise to respect the place. If you say Odessa is a military 
 station, you must expect to see it treated as such by the allied 
 fleets." However, in case of the Russians refusing to give up 
 their guns, &c., and setting us at defiance, it would have been 
 necessary for us to attack the town coute qui cotlte, and there 
 were many reasons why at that particular time such a course 
 would not have been desirable. It may be doubted — indeed, it 
 is, I believe, doubted — by the English Admiral that we could 
 destroy Odessa from the sea by such means as we at present 
 possess. It is a town built of stone, consisting of wide streets,
 
 312 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MOKE, 
 
 of places, and squares, oirering little combustible matter, and 
 placed at such a distance behind the batteries as to be accessible 
 only to mortar vessels and horizontal fire at a very long, and 
 therefore at a very uncertain, range. The houses are roofed 
 with iron, and in many cases there is no woodwork in the 
 flooring or ceiling of the diflerent stories, hut iron girders and 
 tiles and slabs of stone are used instead of planks and rafters. 
 Many of the houses are detached, and stand like so many palazzi 
 in their own grounds. Under these circumstances a general 
 fire would be almost out of the question, and the damage caused 
 by a bombardment would not be very decisive or extensive. 
 With all the efforts of friends and foes to destroy it, how much 
 of Sebastopol still remains ? The Russians, by the agency of 
 powder, of piles of wood, of tar, of turpentine, and of all sorts of 
 combustibles, tried to get it into a blaze, but they failed, not- 
 withstanding a favourable breeze ; and we rained shells on it for 
 months, and never succeeded in creating any conliagration of 
 importance. Well, Sebastopol contained much more wood than 
 Odessa does, and was much more accessible to our fii-e. The infer- 
 ence is, that we could not by any bombardment of the fleet set 
 the town in a blaze, or inflict damage which would compensate 
 the allies for the expenditure of all their shell. It is evident 
 that at some period or another our fire would cease from ex- 
 haustion of means. Even a line-of-battle-ship's powder maga- 
 zines and shot and shell rooms are not illimitable. It is 
 equally clear that a line-of-battle steam-ship could not try to 
 come in close enough to the forts to develope her fire, without 
 running the gxeatest risk of being disabled before she could get 
 into position. The moment would come eventually when our 
 bomb-vessels and gun-boats and heavy steam frigates would be 
 compelled to cease firing, and that probably before much injury 
 was done to a large, distant, stone-built town like Odessa ; and 
 then, if the Russians could frre even one gun as we retreated, 
 they would claim, and with some colouring — which would seem 
 verj' bright and decided in some circles in England and in many 
 cities and towns of despotic Germany and of free America — the 
 credit of having beaten ort" the allied fleets ! If Odessa is to be 
 destroyed, it can only be done, first, either by great numbers of 
 floating batteries to reduce the forts, and enable the liners to 
 approach within broadside distance; secondly, by a sustained 
 fire, constantly maintained for several days, of a flotilla of gun- 
 boats, bomb-ketches, and mortar-vessek, fed by continuous sup-
 
 DIFFICULTIES OF A BOMBARDMENT. 313 
 
 plies of amnnuiition, and even of new guns and mortars ; thirdly, 
 by tlie disembarkation on the coast below the city of a force 
 sutticiently strong to defeat the gan'ison and the outlying army 
 defending the place, in whicli case the city would be open to the 
 conquerors, and all the defences taken in reverse ; or, fourthly, 
 by some unlvuown operation of war, locked up by the Admiralty 
 key in Lord Dundonald's bosom. Of these plans the third 
 alone seems to insure the certainty of destroying Odessa. The 
 Avear and tear of materiel in a protracted bombardment is incre- 
 dible. Even in our affair at Kinburn numerous guns were 
 disabled — as an example, I may state that both of the " Arrow's" 
 heavy Lancaster guns burst after a few rounds, so that the gun- 
 boat was rendered quite useless. (It should be added by paren- 
 thesis that these guns were not furnished by Mr. Lancaster, 
 but were ordinary heavy guns bored in conformitj' with his 
 principle.) The mortar-beds also underwent heavy strains on 
 the occasion, although those suspended on Julius Eoberts's prin- 
 ciple were found to answer very well, and to give less shock to 
 the vessel than those mounted on the old plan. Sir Howai'd 
 Dongla.s declares that a 13-inch mortar ought to hit a large 
 object such as a fort at the distance of 4000 yards, but I know 
 that many of our bombs missed Kinburn from a distance ofles& 
 than 3000 and 3G00 yards. The whole of the glacis and of the 
 ground bel'ore the fort for some hundred yaa'ds was burrowed up 
 and pitted by the craters of bombs, which made prodigious 
 holes in the soft sand on which they expended their force. For 
 one shell which would fall through the roof of a house in Odessa, 
 three or four would fall in the public streets, squares, and yards, 
 where they would be comparatively harmless. These large 
 missiles take up great space, and the Heet could not hold enough 
 to lay Odessa iii mins. Even had the Admirals been pro- 
 vided with aU the appliances for destroying Odessa, the project 
 would not have had the concurrence at present of one Govern- 
 ment, at all events ; and so the fleets, after approaching the 
 town, lay quietly before it. They might have caused great 
 damage to property and loss of life by firing on the place during 
 their- stay, for, though complete destruction is often difficult 
 where damage and loss may easily be efiected, there can be no 
 doubt that a vigorous fn-e would have occasioned the enemy a 
 considerable amount of both. The French Admiral, indeed, 
 suggested that a cei'taiii number of gun-boats and mortar- 
 vessels should go in every night and throw shell into the town ;
 
 ^14 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE. 
 
 but Sii- Edmund Lyons was of opinion probably — and if he was, 
 tliere can be but little question in Englisli minds that he was 
 right — that such a petty measm-e of warfare was unworthy of us ; 
 that we ought either to desti'oy Odessa, and assail it with all our 
 strength, or refrain from a partial attack, which, on its cessation, 
 the Russians would say, and not without pretence, had been 
 repulsed. 
 
 The soldiers and sailors who are doomed to stay at and otf 
 Kinburn for the winter will have a dreary time of it. The sea 
 on both sides of the spit is frozen to some distance from the 
 shore, but Major-General Ivokonovitch, the late Kussian Gover- 
 nor, who was there for four j^ears, said he had never known the 
 .sea to be frozen right across to OczakofT. By the by, it is 
 believed that General Liiders was in Kinburn just beibre our 
 arrival, and that he only crossed to Oczakoft'in a small boat the 
 night \Ye arrived otf the Spit, leaving behind him assurances of 
 relief to the garrison, and informing the Governor he ought to 
 hold out at least for a fortnight. The " Glatton" is at 
 Kamiescb, and will not, 1 believe, take part in the defence. As 
 to the blockade of the Bug and the Dnieper, it will, I presume, 
 be raised by the first frost, and the gun-boats engaged in that 
 service will di'op down and join the Hotilla at Kinburn. The 
 only thing to look forward to is a liberal enjo^^ment of shooting, 
 if the Cossacks will permit it, as the shores abound with mul- 
 titudes of wUdfowl. Before the expedition started neaidy all the 
 smaller gun-boats were despatched to reinforce Captain Sherard 
 Osborne's flotilla in the Sea of Azoff, where that active and 
 energetic officer is harrying the Russians as a hawk perturbs a 
 field of larks. The " Fancy," Lieutenant Grylls, was still with 
 the fleet ; indeed, she is so badly built that she is scarcely fit for 
 the short hacking waves in that sea, and she strains and leaks 
 in bad weather to a dangerous degree. The attention of all 
 naval officers is now turned to the navigation of shallow waters 
 by vessels with heavy armament, and Commander Cowper 
 Coles, of the "' Stromboli," who invented the raft " Lady 
 Nancy," which did such good service at Taganrog, has con- 
 structed models of two very ingenious rafts, which have been 
 sent to the Admufalty, and which are highly approved of by the 
 Admirals out bere. Rafts of this construction would do 
 immense service in the Sea of Azotf, and one model provides for 
 the adaptation of steam power, which would give the raft a 
 moderate propulsive agency of its own.
 
 A RECONNAISSANCE UP THE BUG. 315 
 
 As to the ascent of the Bug or the Uniepei-, it is only to be 
 attempted by vessels with shot-proof screens and proof docks, 
 inasmucli as every man could be picked off the declvs by Minie 
 riHemen, unless the banks of the river were cleared by troops in 
 numbers sufficient to beat back the enemy as they advanced. 
 Captain Cole's raft is provided with a shot-proof screen which 
 shelters the <^un and every soul on boai"d, helmsman and all. In 
 spite of our operations in the Sea of Azotf let it be remembered 
 that we have not reduced Arabat or Genitchi, and that the Rus- 
 sians will soon have free use of the Spit. The moment the frost 
 compels our boats to retire, the Spit of Arabat will be in their 
 hands. The water of the sea is frozen to the distance of several 
 miles, so that no boat can approach to prevent the passage of 
 troops or convoys. Had Arabat fallen, and an expedition landed 
 at Kafta or Theodosia, we should have been masters of the 
 Peninsula of Kertch. 
 
 November 6. 
 
 On Sunday, the 28th, Captain Pai-is joined the allied squadron 
 blockading the Bug and Dnieper, with orders to take the com- 
 mand as soon as Admiral Stewart went; and when we sailed on 
 Tuesday we left that officer in charge, with the " Beagle," 
 " Viper," " Snake," and another English gun-boat, and four 
 French gmi -boats, to keep up that dismal duty. For several 
 days before the weather showed symptoms of making itself un- 
 pleasant — enveloped us in fogs in the morning, with stiif breezes 
 of wind, and in a muggy, smothering atmosphere at midday; 
 but the cold had by no means set in, and the air was indeed 
 rather disagreeably warm. 
 
 On j\Ionday, the 29th, the order to embark was given, and 
 Brigadier-General Spencer came up in the " Danube" and made 
 a short reconnaissance up the Bug. He did not go as far as 
 the little battery with which we had a brush on our arrival ; and 
 indeed the " Danube" would very likely go to the bottom at 
 once if hit by a shot, for she is only a river steamer, little larger 
 than a Greenwich or Woolwich Waterman. However, her 
 appearance created an immense stir among the Russians. Cos- 
 sacks galloped about on all sides and in every direction. The 
 battery at the point was manned at once, and a held gun was 
 detached from the small camp behind it, and kept along the 
 west bank joarzi passu with the steamer, in hope of sending 
 the little " Danube" to the bottom of the Bug ; but she kept 
 out of range, and as soon as the general had seen all he could.
 
 316 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE. 
 
 he returned. That evening three large bodies of inftintry 
 inarched down from NicholaielF, and occupied the villages on the 
 east bank near the sea. One battalion set at once to work on a 
 high diir, about six miles up the river, and threw up an earth- 
 work, either to cover riiiemen or receive guns. No doubt the 
 enemy saw our preparations at Oczakoff, and were persuaded the 
 troops were coming up to attack Nicholaiefi'. The infantry we 
 saw were fine solid-looking masses of men. On Tuesday morn- 
 ing before we left they might be seen in the various villages or 
 hamlets on the east bank, so that when they had united with 
 the troops about Stanislaus, there must have been a good force 
 ready for us. 
 
 Admiral Stewart sailed from the Bug on Tuesday morning, 
 and joined the fleet at Kinburn, and a poi'tion of the fleet which 
 had gun-boats to tow started for Ivamiesch the same evening. 
 The allied fleets, under Sir E. Lyons and Admiral Bruat, Sir H. 
 Stewart and Admiral Pellion, sailed the following day for the 
 same anchorage, and encountered a strong breeze of wind. 
 
 The wisdom and foresight of most of our military operations 
 in burning, laj^ing waste, and blowing up, was never better 
 exemplified than at Kertch. There was a very fine barrack near 
 the quarantine .station, on the Bay of Kertch, recently built, pro- 
 vided with every comfort, and well supplied with water from a 
 deep well, and with capacious tanks. In the ordinary exercise 
 of reason these buildings should have been preserved, inasmuch 
 as it was determined to keep a British force at Kertch, but 
 before Sir George Brown left, they were burnt by order, and 
 reduced to a heap of blackened ruins. We are now, with infinite 
 labour and trouble, and at prodigious expense, sending the mate- 
 rials for huts to Kertch, and dragging them up close to the site 
 of the barracks, where they will form a very poor })rotection 
 against the weather in comparison with the substantial buildings 
 which we destroyed. As the tanks are ruined and the well 
 spoiled, the men will have to di-ag water a distance of three 
 miles to their new residence. Provisions arc now tolerably 
 abundant. 
 
 The '• Highflyer" returned yesterday from Circassia and a 
 cruise along the Turkish coast, having on board the Duke of 
 Newcastle and Mr. Simpson, the artist, Avho accompanied him 
 on the excursion. His Grace will find things greatly changed 
 since ho left; roads made, huts erected, generals gone. Sir 
 Colin Campbell, Colonel Stirling, Sir H. Bentinck, and Brigadier
 
 THE NEW COMMAXDER-I\-CHIEF. 317 
 
 Shirley, have left the camp during his absence. The Duke's 
 trip is said to have been most agreeable, and to have aflbrded a 
 pleasiint ynclange of hunting, shooting, visiting, travelling, 
 sight-seeing, and Circassian adventure. 
 
 The 8th Hussars, with the exception of a troop ordered up as 
 an escort to head-quarters, will embark to-day for winter quar- 
 ters at Ismir. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, Novemher 9. 
 
 It is kuown that Sir William J. Codrington, with the local 
 rank of General, will succeed Sir James Simpson in command of 
 the army ; that Sir Richard Airey, Quartt^rmaster-General, will 
 retire in a few days, to be replaced either by Colonel Wetherall 
 or Colonel Herbert. There is every prospect of undisturbed 
 repose during the coming winter, and during the fine frosty 
 mornings the drill sergeants can work their will with the 
 awkward squads of recruits, so that on the return of spring 
 there will be as fine an army here as ever was led by an English 
 general. Sir W. Codrington is just the man to draw in the 
 reins gently but firmly, and to correct the evils which tend to 
 mar its efficiency in the field. We are a little too free and easy. 
 Rum is too plentiful, and money too abundant. In one small 
 regimental canteen on the fifth of November, the anniversary of 
 Inkermann, not less than 140/. was received in ready money for 
 articles of consumption, mostly of a liquid nature, and about 50/. 
 more was debited to good customers. The Russians maintain 
 their usual attitude. The contraction of our straggling lines 
 towards the Belbek destroys their only hope of temporary success 
 in assaulting this position. Strange as it may appear to most 
 people, I must express ray belief that the Russians do not 
 intend to abandon the Crimea until they are forced to do so. 
 They occupj- a splendid position, notwithstanding all that the 
 maps may indicate, and they will not believe their communica- 
 tions are cut off till the fact is evident. Their hope is probably 
 that, by next campaign, the Crimea will be a vast camp, and 
 that they will be in sufficient force to hem us in at Eupatoria, 
 to defcnd the coast wherever we may make a descent, to hold 
 Perekop, and to paralyse our army before Sebastopol, so that it 
 cannot move on Cherson or Nicholaieff. They hold the rivers 
 and streams of the Crimea, and tliat is a great advantage. 
 However, there is one place in the Crimea from which an army 
 might move with ease on the rear of the enemy's position behind 
 Simpheropol, and it is not possible for the enemy to hinder our
 
 318 SEBASTOPOL OXCE MORE. 
 
 del)Ouclnn<]^ from this point unless the}' beat us in a pitched 
 
 battle. There is no news to record except what is contained in 
 
 my diary. 
 
 Aovemhcr 7. 
 
 The enemy since morninsr have been executing manoeuvres on 
 a vast scale all over the plateau, from the west side to Mac- 
 kenzie's farm. The}- are in full uniform, their great coats 
 being laid aside ; and it is evident that they are undergoing in- 
 spection by some great personage. The gleam of buyonets flashed 
 in every direction over the ridges, and pierced the brushwood, 
 showing the number of troops to be very considerable. The 
 manceuvres lasted till kte in the afternoon. 
 
 November 8. 
 
 A beautiful day, with scarcely a breeze of wind, a fine genial 
 sun, and a pleasant atmosphere ; all lost so far as the expedition 
 to Kaffa is concerned. The men have now been ten days on 
 board ship, and the cost of such a little armada would startle 
 our economists if they knew the precise amount. It is, be- 
 sides, very hard on the officers and men to remain cooped-up 
 in men-of-war at a period when their presence is \u*gently 
 required in camp, to construct huts and carry on various works 
 of pi'epai"ation for the winter. Should they return to their 
 old quartere, they will most likely find the excavations over 
 which their tents stood filled with water. Should the weather 
 break, there will be discomfort enough, and it can hardly liold 
 fine mtich longer. It is not very agreeable to Jack, either, 
 ■who finds his ship turned into a barrack, and himself suddenly 
 cribbed, cabined, and confined in his own castle. Money, time, 
 opportunity, are all wasted alike — we don't " know the reason 
 why." It is said that there is a difference of opinion among 
 the Generals and Admirals, and that in their strait they have 
 refen-ed to England and France, or rather to the governing 
 powers of those countries, for instructions. It cannot be 
 doubted, that if England and France were consulted, they 
 would say, " be off at once ! do something for goodness' sake, 
 or go on shore and stay there." Tlie answer recently received 
 to a message, requesting the instructions of an eminent person 
 as to the departure of the expedition, is said to have been, that 
 he was not in possession of sufficient facts to enable him to 
 decide, and he wished for further information. Thus some 
 time will be lost before auotlier telegraphic despatch can be 
 received. One can only say that such loss of time is as much
 
 ARBITRATION AT HOME. 319 
 
 to be deplored as it is irreparable. The English Admirals are 
 in favour of the expedition, and some military men. Major- 
 General Windham and others have always believed that Kafla 
 and the Kertch peninsula would have been the proper base 
 of our operations in the Crimea and against Sebastopol. Ad- 
 miral Bruat warmly co-operates with ISir Edmund Lyons, but 
 he is under the orders of Marshal Pelissier, and it is affirmed 
 that the latter is averse to any further reduction or dispersion 
 of his armj', which he is concentrating as much as possible on 
 the Tchernaya and Baidar, to be prepared for an attack, 
 should the enemy resolve on such a desperate measure ere winter 
 sets in. Hence probably arise the diH'erences of opinion which 
 require an arbitration at home. But the arbitrator, although 
 we can talk to him by the agency of lightning, is a long way 
 off, and in spite of all his sources of knowledge, is necessarily 
 unacquainted with many things, and while his decision is pend- 
 ing, the time i'or striking the blow which he may fmally order 
 and approve of will be gone for ever. The weather is too good 
 to last, and a continuation of it for a day longer cannot be cal- 
 culated upon with any degree of certainty. In the Crimea the 
 fog bi'ceds the storm, and last night and early this morning we 
 had a very heavy fog, which endured till the sun warmed uj) the 
 air. Thei'e may be much force in Marshal Pelissier's objections 
 to any reduction in the strength of his army just now, whilst 
 rumours to the effect that the Russians are preparing to tlirow 
 away the lives of more of their soldiers in assaulting our posi- 
 tion are in circulation. However, the Imperial Guard are under 
 orders to embark for France, and they might as well take Kaffa 
 and Arabat en route, and secure us the peninsula of Keri:ch for 
 the winter. Ten or certainly nine days have elapsed sinci? the 
 fleet left the Spit of Kinburn, and Kaffa and Arabat would have 
 been taken and reduced, and fortihed over again, in that time, if 
 they were to be taken at all. Sir Edmund Lyons is not a man 
 to let the grass grow under his feet ; but one foot he cannot 
 move, for he is tied by the leg, just as he was when he in vain 
 opposed the famous flank march on Balaklava, and advocated a 
 rush at the town ere the enemy could recover from the efl'ects of 
 their dismay. We must act in concert with our allies, and the 
 rule seems to be that neither France nor England shall act inde- 
 pendently of the other, but that they may act as they please 
 respecting the Sardinians or the Turks. There is always a 
 want of decision and energy in allied councils, and even Marl-
 
 320 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE, 
 
 boroui^h and Eugene had to regret that no two men can take 
 precisely tlie same view of all tlie parts and accidents of any 
 single matter. Not that there is the least difference of opinion 
 respecting the large operations of the war, or any want of 
 unanimity as to the grand details of our plans among the Gene- 
 rals, but that the force required, the nature of the troops to be 
 engaged, the time, the mode of action, and the results of success, 
 ire presented in different ways to the minds of different men (all 
 Df great weight and authority), and the natural consequencG is 
 indecision — ^just such as arises in the mind of a man to whom 
 the opposite sides of a question are propounded by able advo- 
 cates. General Simpson has ever evinced the utmost readiness 
 to accede to Marshal Pelissier's suggestions, or to any proposi- 
 tions made by either generals or admirals of character and 
 experience, so that no obstacle to any energetic steps arises from 
 him, bnt if he wished to-morrow to march against the enemy he 
 could not do so without the co-operation of Marshal Pelissier. 
 We have a large armj' in the field at present. We issue at 
 least 60,000 rations daily, and om- effective force cannot be less 
 than 45,0(X) men. It is doubtful if the French much out-number 
 lis in strength, but they certainly do generally preponderate and 
 take the lead in military operations here, either by land or sea. 
 The cordial good feeling between the Allies, and the esteem and 
 admiration entertained by us for our gallant brothers in arms 
 diminishes, or rather subdues, any little unea.sy sentiment of 
 mortified pride or national vanity, which might be created 
 among our men by this prominence of action, but they can 
 hardly be blamed if they desire once more to fight side by side 
 with their allies, to revive the glories of the Alma, and the gra- 
 titude and triumphs of Inkeiniiann. When the armies take the 
 field next year, the English soldiers will be in fine condition, and 
 as soon as the roads are made, the men will have time to learn 
 the trade of which so many of them are now ignorant. In truth, 
 our army stand in great need of the drill sergeant. A siege is 
 at all times rather demoralizing and destructive to discipline. 
 The siege of Sebastopol has done this to a considerable degree, 
 because to the ordinarj' influences of such operations the effects 
 of a Avinter's campaign were superadded. Most of the old 
 soldiers have been used up ; and the bulk of our regiments con- 
 tain an undue proportion of recruits. To see a body of our 
 soldiers coming back from the roads in the evening — to mark 
 their careless air — listen to their loud voices in the ranks as
 
 LABOUR MONEY. 321 
 
 they tramp througli the dust — one would scarcely think ihem 
 capable of being turned out as a clean smart regiment at ten 
 minutes' notice. They are in coarse and rather dirty fatigue 
 Buits of grey linen, and but for the appearance of order as they 
 march, and their forage caps with the regimental numbers, they 
 would not look, to any lounger in Hyde-park or the Phoinix, like 
 the British soldier, all kempt and compact as he usually is pre- 
 sented to the public gaze at home. The officers, too, often mere 
 boys or j^oung lads not long from England, ride or march along 
 with the men. The latter either sing a quick march-song in 
 chorus, or whistle some air to keep the step. Such high spirits 
 are very pleasant to see, but occasionally the march becomes 
 rather too noisj- and riotous to suit the notions of a strict disci- 
 plinarian ; old soldiers do not commit these irregularities, but 
 young recruits who have seen little of military life, and who 
 scarcely know what drill is, are apt to exceed the bounds of 
 decorum and military rule when they find themselves free from 
 pai'ades, and field days, and inspections, and put to work on the 
 roads like labourers. If the men grumbled it would not be 
 surprising, for they are not f aid for their labour ! Each man 
 was promised 8d. a day for his work, and hy the rules of the 
 sei-vice the British soldier is always paid when doing duty of 
 the kind, but he has not yet received a penny. The reason for 
 this is curious. All extra labour for which the soldier receives 
 special recompence is generally under the direction of Engineer 
 officers, and it has become a rule not to pay any man without 
 the signature of an officer of that corps, as authority for the fact, 
 and as a proof that the work has been really done. But the 
 Engineer officers do not superintend the work on the roads 
 under Mr. Doyne, and they will not sign the papers, and the 
 result is that the men receive no money at all, and do not believe 
 they will ever get a farthing. In this dilemma. General Simpson 
 applied to the Commissary-General to know if he felt inclined to 
 pay, but Sir George Maclean is understood to entertain very 
 great doubts whether he could order the issue of money from 
 the Commissariat chest for such pm'poses. It will be observed 
 that in General Orders provision has been made to remedy this 
 inconvenience, and that the men will be paid out of the Com- 
 missariat chest. 
 
 The great majority of the men will be dismissed from the 
 roads this evening, and not more than 2500 or 2800 men will 
 be required by Mr. Doyne for the \Yorks to be cai'ried on here- 
 
 VOL. II. Y
 
 322 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE. 
 
 after. The men released from this kind of labour will now 
 be available for the Generals of Division, who have been in much 
 need of them, in order to prepare for the winter, and to get the 
 works of necessity and utility completed in the divisional camps 
 before it sets in. 
 
 The main road will be opened on Saturday from Balaklava to 
 General Simpson's head quarters. It will be an enduring mark 
 of our presence, but one is irresistibly tempted to ask as he 
 looks at it, " Wliat on earth would have become of our army 
 this winter had Sebastopol not ftillen, if labour could not have 
 been spared, and if the road on which we have daily employed 
 9000 men, and of which there is only a portion ready on the 
 tenth of November, could not have been made.''" 
 
 There is a locomotive on the railway below Kadikoi, and in 
 two or three days two will be at work on the line. 
 
 jyovc7nber 9. 
 
 It is announced formally in the despatches that Lieutenant- 
 General Sir W. J. Codrington, K.C.B., is to succeed General Sir 
 James Simpson, K.C.B., in the command of the British army; 
 and the announcement has caused a little surprise, but has at 
 the same time been received by an expression of very general 
 satisfaction, more especially in the Light Division, where the 
 General is very popular with both ofHcers and men. Sir W. 
 Codrington came out from England on the 23rd of February, 
 1854, with the rank of Colonel in the Coldstream Guards. He 
 entered the army as Ensign and Lieutenant on the 22nd 
 February, 1821 ; became Lieutenant in April, 1823 ; Captain 
 in July, 1826 ; Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel on the 9th of 
 November, 1846; and Major-General on the 20th June, 1854. 
 He commanded a brigade of the Light Division throughout the 
 early portion of the campaign, and succeeded to the command of 
 that Division on the retirement of Sir George Brown. Pos- 
 sessed of a strong constitution, a spare and vigorous frame, 
 quiet in manner, energetic in action, vigilant, and painstaking, 
 Sir William Codrington acquired a high reputation throughout 
 the war, and was often spoken of as the coming man — t/ie 
 General, who was at last to arise out of the debris of old 
 fogeyism, red tapery, staffery, Horse-Guardism, and of the 
 British army; but the Eedan dammed the current which had 
 eet so long and so quietly in his favour, because it was supposed 
 that he did not exhibit all the qualities which were attributed to 
 him in an eminent degree hy the army, and produced all the
 
 SIR w. codringtok's antecedents. 323 
 
 backwater, eddies, and whirlpools usually formed on such occa- 
 sions. Sir \V. Codrington was possibly struggling with the 
 internal conviction that the attack had become hopeless, and con- 
 sequently felt some hesitation in sacrificing more soldiers when 
 he perceived the failure of our assaults and the confusion of 
 the regiments swarming on the face of the salient, but it is 
 certain that in that supreme hour he did not display that 
 extreme coolness, those internal resources, that self-possession 
 and energy which every one had with good reason, from his 
 antecedents at Alma and Inkermann, and his conduct during 
 the winter campaign in the trenches, generally attributed to him. 
 The revulsion of popular feeling, either in a nation or an army, 
 is often unjust in proportion to its violence, and there were very 
 many indeed who thought " it would be only fair to give 
 Codrington another chance," and now he has indeed got it, and 
 it is believed that he will use it nobly. Sir W. Codrington 
 received the local rank of Lieutenant-General in Turkey on 30th 
 July, 1855. Sir Colin Campbell was gazetted to the same rank on 
 23rd January in the same year. The only officers now with this 
 army who are senior to Sir W. Codrington are Lord Rokeby and 
 Lieutenant-General Barnard, Chief of the Staff, and it is to be 
 hoped they will consent to do duty with the troops, commanded 
 by an officer under whose direction an honourable and glorious 
 career is expected to open upon our arms. Sir Richard Airey is 
 junior to the new Commander-in-Chief, bat it is certain that he will 
 go home at no very distant period, as his health is much broken. 
 The Commander of the Turkish Contingent, General Vivian, is 
 senior to the Commander of the British Army, and it will be 
 necessary to prevent inconvenience that Sir William Codrington 
 should receive a step of rank. By the by, when will the 
 Gazette, or the authorities at home, abandon the foolish prac- 
 tice, as it seems and is called, of giving local rank to officers in 
 Turkey while they are serving in the Crimea ? Is it an indi- 
 cation of future policy, and is the Crimea to be a part of Turkey? 
 Surely it would be better to say at once that the local rank was 
 given to officers " during the Russian war," or in the " army of 
 the East," or something of the kind. But this is a small matter. 
 There is a report that General KnoUys may soon be expected. 
 He is senior to General Codrington in actual army rank, having 
 been appointed Major-General on 20th June, 1854, and he stands 
 higher on the list of Majors-General than either Lord Rokeby 
 or General Codrington. Sir Richard Airey is so well acquainted 
 y3
 
 324 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE. 
 
 •with the details of his department, that it would be a pit}- to lose 
 his services at present ; but the report of his retirement is very 
 general. Two persons are commonly spoken of, one of whom 
 will probably be selected as his successor, these are Colonel 
 Wetherall, of the Turkish Contingent (well known as one of the 
 best officers in the army), and Colonel Herbert. It is almost 
 certain that the latter will get the appointment, but there are 
 not two opinions as to the qualifications of the two officers, not- 
 withstandingColonel Herbert's acknowledged activity and ability. 
 Colonel Wetherall is expected here momentarily. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXXV. 
 
 Both armies at bay — General Simpson's departure — Too much despatch- 
 writing — Grand military work — 'Ihe duello between the north and the 
 south sides — Treaty between France and England respecting the dis- 
 tribution of booty and trophies — Bread stuffs — Quality and quantity — 
 Objects of art placed at tlie disposal of the generals in-chief — A present 
 to the Ottoman Porte — Keturus of the booty — Preparations for the 
 winter — General Codrington's Order on assuming the command — 
 General Simpson's farewell. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, Novemler 13. 
 
 The enemy have not stirred — they are only making huts and 
 preparing for the winter. Still the allies expect, or rather hope, that 
 the Russians will be considerate enough to play our game and 
 come down to assault our position, and it is quite possible that the 
 Russians are deludedenough to indulge in similaranticipations,and 
 look forward to a number of little Morgartens amid the mountain 
 passes of Aitodor and Mackenzie before the winter sets in. The 
 extraordinary fineness of the weather affiards a daily reproach 
 to whatever General it may be who ought to act offensively. 
 "Within one day of the first anniversary of that terrible 14th of 
 November, which will never be forgotten by those who spent it 
 on this plateau, the air is still calm. Since the expedition returned 
 from Kinburn not one drop of rain has fallen ; and each day 
 has been cloudless, sunny, and almost too warm. The mornings 
 and nights, however, begin to warn us that winter is impending. 
 As I write, the sky is overcast and the atmosphere heavy — ii 
 good specimen of a London November day, minus the fog, 
 drizzle, or rain; but there is not a breath of wind. Under 
 these circumstances it is to be regretted that the Admirals could 
 not carry out tlieix' wishes concerning the expedition to Kafia,
 
 SIR w. codrington's good fortune. 325 
 
 ibr tlie onl^' ostensible oLstade to the tinclcrtakhi<T was the weather, 
 and our experience and traditions of hist year certainly su<^gested 
 extreme caution before we ventured upon sending a flotilla, filled 
 with soldiers, on such an awful coast at this season, even for the 
 very shoi't passage to Theodosia. The event of the week has, of 
 course, been the change of Commanders-in-Chief. The retire- 
 ment of General Simpson was by no means unexpected, but it 
 was not known who would be his successor, and very few indeed 
 ventured to hope that Sir W. Codrington would be selected ibr 
 the post. Although too active and able a soldier to be neglected 
 in a war like this, it is possible that Sir W. Codrington would 
 not have had a chance of obtaining his present distinguished 
 position, but for a piece of good fortune. On the 20th of June 
 last year certain promotions took place, more particularly 
 ajnong colonels of the Guards, and among them was that of 
 Colonel Codrington to be a Major-General. Of course the effect 
 of such a promotion would have been to remove him fi-om his 
 regiment and take him home ; but the ]\Iajor-General was most 
 anxious for active service. By the time the Gazette was pro- 
 mulgated the expedition to the Crimea was spoken of, and 
 jMajor-General Codrington tried hard to evade the necessity of 
 retui'ning home, which to many was by no means disagreeable, 
 if we may judge fiom the alacrity with which they availed them- 
 selves of it. He was lucky enough to succeed in his ol)ject, and 
 thus got an opportunity of entering on the career which in a 
 veiy short period has led him to such great honours and to so 
 proud a position. The Acting Quartermaster-General had just 
 died, and Brigadier-General Airey, who commanded a brigade 
 of the Light Division, was selected as his successor. The 
 brigade thus left vacant was given to I\Iajor-General Codring- 
 ton, whose anxiety for active service led him to leave no stone 
 tinturned in the search for it, and I well remember that, being 
 then with the Light Division, I heard some expressions of dissatis- 
 faction because the " lucky Guardsman" obtained the command. 
 Only a very short time, however, elapsed before officers and men 
 discovered that he was one of the best soldiers in the army, and 
 his reputation extended beyond the limits of his brigade to every 
 regiment in the field. The Light Division hailed his accession 
 to the command on the second and final retirement of Sir George 
 Brown with the liveliest satisfaction, for he had won the con- 
 fidence of the men by coolness and unexaggerated intrepidity in 
 the field, and had gained the affection of the officers by his
 
 326 SEBASTOPOL OXCE MORE. 
 
 amenity and kind manners. These secured them against insult 
 or violent abuse in their communications with their General, 
 while in his vigilance and his love and knowledge of his pro- 
 fession they could place perfect reliance. 
 
 General Simpson left for Marseilles direct, in the steamer 
 "Telegraph," yesterday. No one regrets that he has ceased to 
 be Commander-in-Chief of this army. All must feel sorrow for 
 the circumstances under which a veteran officer like Sir James 
 Simpson resigned his command. His simplicity of manners and 
 singleness of mind never failed to conciliate the regard, if not the 
 respect and admiration, of those ai'ound him, but he failed in 
 determination and firmness in a matter of vital importance to 
 our army when opposed to a sterner will,greater vehemence, and 
 force of character. Such an error in judgment, or rather such 
 weakness, was especially culpable in the Commander-in-Chief of 
 an army situated as our own has been. The most ardent admirer 
 of Sir James Simpson will scarcely for a moment pretend to say 
 that he possessed the physical vigour necessary for the successful 
 direction of an army in an active campaign ; or the strategical 
 skill and fertility of resources which would enable him to con- 
 duct difficult operations against an enterprising and able enemy, 
 or to extricate his troops with honour out of danger. The late 
 General was a victim to writing, like his lamented predecessor. 
 He was more of a clerk than a General. Now, is it the Horse- 
 Guards which enforces all this scrivenery ? If the army cannot 
 be commanded without all these forms and returns, let us have, 
 as you propose, a writing General, and a fighting General. It 
 certainly is not despatch- writing which consumed our Generals' 
 time hitherto, for those documents have always been brief 
 enough. 
 
 I regret to state that the army is likely to lose Colonel Mac- 
 murdo. He has been very ill of fever for some days, and passed 
 the crisis on Sunday night. His wife ai-rived just before he fell 
 ill, and he must go home as soon as he is strong enough to be 
 moved. Had the army been deprived of his services at any 
 other time it would have been most serious j and, even as it is, 
 it would be hard to find a competent successor, for he devoted 
 himself incessantly to the details of his most arduous depart- 
 ment, and was gradually getting it into most excellent order, 
 notwithstanding the great difficulties with which he had to 
 contend.
 
 MILITARY WORKS. 327 
 
 The main road has now been completed from Ealaklava 
 (Kadikoi) to the central depot, a. distance of six miles and a half 
 It is a grand military work which will last for centuries. In 
 less than seven weeks the road has been completed, and in that 
 time upwards of 60,000 tons of road metal have been prepared 
 and laid down to prepare it for traffic. There are yet several 
 branches to be completed ; one to Karanyi-valley is nearly ready, 
 and the others are in a fair state of progress. When Mr. Doj^ne 
 began his roads he had only 1500 soldiers to assist him, but by 
 degrees he received increased aid from the Quartermaster-General's 
 department, until he had no less than 8000 men at work, 
 ■which, with his own navvies and native labourers, gave him a 
 force of about 10,000 men. The drainage of the road is excellent, 
 and numerous and capacious culverts have been constructed to 
 carry off the rush of water in the ravines. We shall have at 
 last left a Romanesque work behind us when we abandon the 
 Crimea, and if we bequeath no marks of our existence to posterity 
 in India, we shall at least do so to future generations of 
 Muscovites and Tartars. 
 
 There is little more to be said. The duello between the north 
 and south sides is intensely tedious and profitless ; it is also 
 without loss — the stones alone suffer. 
 
 The Times of the 24th of October, ■which has just arrived, 
 contains an inventory of the stores found at Sebastopol by the 
 allies, and as it may be interesting to give some particulars of 
 the proceedings of the Mixed Commission, I have with some 
 little difficulty procured the following information respecting 
 them. On the 10th of July this year a treaty was entered into 
 between France and England with respect to the distribution of 
 booty and trophies, which enabled the French and English Go- 
 vei'nments to form a mixed commission for the purpose of 
 classifying and arranging such articles. In compliance with 
 this provision, immediately after the capture of Sebastopol, 
 Marshal Pelissier named the following officers on behalf of the 
 French army : — General of Division Niel, Aide-de-Camp de 
 I'Empereur, President, and commanding the Engineers; 
 General of Division Thiry, commanding Artillery ; Admiral 
 Eegault de Genouilly, commanding Marine Artillery ; M. Paris, 
 Intendant (Commissary-General) ; M. Budin, Payeur-General. 
 General Simpson named the following officers for the English 
 army ; — Sir G. Dacres, commanding Eoyal Artillery ; Captain
 
 328 SEBASTOPOL ONCE MORE. 
 
 Drumraond, E.N. ; Colonel Chapman, commancling Royal 
 Engineers ; Mr. Drake, Assistant Commissary-General. It will 
 be observed that the English officers are not equal in rank or 
 numbers to the French members of the Commission. 
 
 The Commission met on the 15th of September at the 
 quarters of General Niel. Its first act was to order an inventory 
 in detail to be made of everything found in Sebastopol. To 
 effect this the city and forts were divided, and the care of 
 exploring each part devolved upon sub-commissions. The first 
 of these, charged with the exploration of the west of the city 
 and of Forts Nicholas and Alexander, of the Quarantine, and of 
 the Central Bastion, and of the Bastion du Mat (Flagstaif), were 
 M. Mazare, General of Artillery, President; M. Cacoze, Captain 
 of Artillery, French ; Captain Dickson, R.A.; Comte Feldtrappe, 
 French Engineers; Captain Montagu, R.E. ; Lieutenant Laurent, 
 French Navy; Lieutenant BuUer, R.N. ; M. Gontier, French 
 Assistant Commissary-General; and Mr. Lundy, Deputy As- 
 sistant Commissary -General. The second sub- commission, 
 charged to explore the east of the city, the Redan of Careening 
 Bay, the Malakhotf, the Great Redan, and the adjacent works, 
 consisted of — Brigadier- General Dupuis. Royal Horse Artillery, 
 President ; Captain Shaw, Royal Artillery ; Comte de Callac, 
 Imperial Artillery ; Major Staunton, R.E. ; Major Cadart, 
 Imperial Engineers ; Commander Marten, R.N. ; Commander de 
 Genoux, Imperial Navy; Mr. Crookshank, Deputy- Assistaiit-Com- 
 missary-General ; M. Goutran, same rank French army; and Lieu- 
 tenant Rumble, R.M.A. On the 25th of September the Commis- 
 sion held its second sitting, and all the members were present 
 except General Thiry, who was represented by General Mazare. 
 That officer and Brigadier-General Dupuis, as presidents of the 
 sub-commission, then laid on the table a detailed statement of 
 everything found in Sebastopol. The number of cannon in 
 bronze (brass) is 128 ; that of iron guns, 3711 ; total, 3839. 
 The President read the Convention of the 10th of July, and it 
 was then unanimously agreed that the guns should be divided 
 iiito two equal parts, paying due regard to the different calibres, 
 and that one-half should be sent to France, the other half to 
 Great Britain, with the exception of two brass field pieces, which 
 should be offered to General de la ]\Iarmora, with the approba- 
 tion of the Commanders-in-Chief. It was also resolved that 
 these cannon and guns should remain in Sebastopol, and in the
 
 DIVISION OF THE SPOIL. 329 
 
 redoubts and fortifications of Karniescli and Balaklava, till such 
 time as they were not required for the defence of the place, when 
 each Government might do what it liked with its own share. 
 These decisions, taken conformably to the first act of the Con- 
 vention, leave the valuation of the pieces out of the question ; 
 but by the 4th article of the same Convention it is agreed that 
 the value of the booty, &<•,., shall be divided between the two 
 Powers proportionally to the number of men employed by each 
 in the siege. The effective strength of the Anglo Sardinian 
 army on the 8th of September was G3,715 men, and that of 
 the French army on the same day was 120,705 men. The Com- 
 mission, therefore, decided that France should have two-thirds, 
 and Great Britain one-third of the value of the bootj' and 
 trophies. It was declared impossible to fix the value of the 
 guns immediately, in consequence of want of sufficient informa- 
 tion and of the necessity of employing the iron guns in the 
 defence of the place. The Commission, therefore, passed on to 
 the partition of the oW\cx materieltakQw, and divided the follow- 
 ing into three parts, two for France and one-third for England, 
 with the understanding that they are to remain for the supply 
 of the defence : — 407,314 round shot ; shell, 101,755 ; canister 
 cases, 24,080; gunpowder, 525,0001b.; ball cartridges for 
 muskets and carbines, 470,000 in good condition, and 160,000 
 damaged ; waggons, 80 ; yawls, 6 ; logs of lignum vifce, 500 
 anchors of port moorings, 400 ; anchors of different sizes, 90 
 grapplings and small anchors, 50 ; chains for anchors, 200 yards 
 old copper for sheathing, 104,0001b. ; old ropes, 100,0001b. 
 water casks, 300; new ropes of different sizes, 50,0001b. 
 pulleys, 400 ; spars, 40 ; tools, 300 ; bar iron and steel, 
 l,4(50,0001b. ; iron wire, 4001b. ; iron checks, 3201b. ; sheet 
 iron, 16,0001b. ; tin plate, 14,000lb. ; red copper, 120,0001b. ; 
 nails, 6,0001b. ; firwood, a large quantity ; pitch and tar, 200 
 barrels ; barrels of paint, 150 ; small boilers, weighing 60001b. ; 
 the remains of a steam-engine of 220-horse power, taken out of 
 a steamer burnt by the llussians ; large copper boilers, weighing 
 100,0001b., 8 ; old copper, 100,0001b. ; copper screws, 10,0001b. ; 
 old iron, 160,0001b. ; large bells, 6 ; small bells, 10 ; hospital 
 beds, 350 ; iron forges, in great numbers ; main tackles, 12 ; 
 coal, 2000 tons ; steam-engines, of 30-horse power, for the 
 basins, 2 ; large pumps, for the basins, 3 ; iron boilers, 3 ; one 
 high-pressui'e engine of 16-horse power, for the basins ; iron
 
 330 SEBASTOPOL OXCE MORE. 
 
 cranes, 17; an engine of 12-horse power in the military 
 bakery ; two dredging machines of 30-horse power, unservice- 
 ahle ; a still, a clock, six marble statues, two sphinxes, a large 
 basso-relievo ; biscuit, 500 tons ; flour, 150 ; barley, 9 ; buck- 
 wheat, 117 ; oats, 18 ; millet, 54 ; wheat, 20 ; peas, 1-| ; salt 
 meat, 60; wheat in the. granaries, 500 quarters, &c. 
 
 The Commission having examined the quantity and quality 
 of the breadstufis found in the magazines declared them unfit 
 for the use of the allied armies, and decided that they should 
 be sent to Eupatoria for the support of the Tartars, to whom 
 the allies furnish subsistence. The French Intendance is 
 charged with the duty of transporting these supplies. They 
 consisted of 11,000 sacks, weighing 500 tons, of black bread, 
 370 sacks or 150 tons of flour, 100 sacks or 9 tons of barley ; 
 1300 sacks or 117 tons of black barley, 18 tons of hay, 54 tons 
 of millet, 20 tons of barley, 1-j tons of peas, 60 tons of salt meat, 
 and 500 quarters of bai-ley in the granaries. The Commission 
 decided further that the few objects of art found in the place 
 ghould be placed at the disposal of the Generals-in-Chief, 
 and finished the sitting by nominating as secretary M. de 
 Genoux, Capitaine de Fregate. 
 
 The third sitting took place on the 30th of September, and 
 the subject of their deliberation was the valuation of the guns. 
 As the calibres of the Russian artillery do not correspond with 
 those of the allies, it was decided unanimously that in the 
 valuation of the guns they should only estimate the value of 
 the metal, which was fixed at 2f. 50c. per kilogramme for brass 
 guns, and at 10c. for iron guns. One of the members observed, 
 that among the brass guns there were two Turkish field pieces, 
 and it was at once declared to be the wish of the Commander 
 to put these guns at the disjiosal of the Ottoman Porte. It was 
 further decided that, as many of the articles could not be divided, 
 such a distribution should take place as might be best arranged, 
 and, accordingly, a high-pressure engine of 20-horse power, a 
 distilling machine, and a clock were comprised in the French 
 list, and in the English a high-pressure engine of 16-horse 
 power and a furnace. As it would be impossible to divide the 
 wood of the houses and buildings that are to be demolished, the 
 city itself was portioned out, and to the English was allotted the 
 eastern, and to the French the western part. The list already 
 published gives the gross amount found, but immense quantities 
 of all kinds of articles, muskets, clothing, &c., were improperly
 
 LIST OP ARTICLE?-. 
 
 331 
 
 removed. Mr. Johnson, Naval Instructor, was named as English 
 Secretary ; and Mr. Cruikshank, since the close of tlie sittings, 
 has discovered a store containing about 5000 suits of Russian 
 military clothing. The following is a part of the English 
 return : — 
 
 GtJNS IN Malakiioff, Redax, & 
 Serviceable 
 
 8-inch guns 
 
 7 to Ts inch ditto . . . 
 
 6 to c| ditto 
 
 5 to 5| ditto 
 
 Smaller calibres .... 
 13-inch mortars .... 
 
 10-iuch ditto 
 
 Brass cohorns, 6 to 6^ inch 
 Brass field pieces . . . 
 Wall pieces 
 
 Total fcuns 
 
 38 
 
 76 
 
 816 
 
 310 
 
 449 
 
 17 
 
 8 
 
 21 
 
 16 
 
 9 
 
 297 
 
 Unserviceable. 
 23 
 11 
 135 
 85 
 42 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 297 
 
 Total . . . 2087 
 
 The return includes eight 8-inch and two 3|-inch brass guns. 
 
 Number „! n n^„^^ Live Powder and small 
 
 of shot. ^'''^"- ^"*P^- Sliell. Ammunition. 
 
 257,314 60,515 13,380 1240 419,2001b. of powder, 436,0001b. 
 
 of ammunition. 
 Three small bells and one large one of fine tones. 
 Two marine condensing steam engines of 30-horse power in good 
 
 condition, nearly new £2,000 
 
 Three large pumps for pumping out the docks, in good condition, 
 
 with gear complete 2,500 
 
 Three iron boilers for engines 1,600 
 
 Spare gear for the above 700 
 
 Blocks, with brass sheaves 10 
 
 One IG-horse power engine, for pumping out cofferdam, not com- 
 plete 800 
 
 Three 3ton cranes, good 1,500 
 
 One ditto, not fixed, good 200 
 
 One 12-horse power condensing engine, for bakery 200 
 
 One 20-horse high-pressure engine, incomplete, with gear packed 
 
 in cases 900 
 
 Iron boiler and iron chimney, complete 800 
 
 Copper boiler, for steaming plank 336 
 
 Pair of 220-horse power marine engines, unfit for use, original 
 
 value 12,000 
 
 Eight copper boilers for ditto, repairable, 50 tons 5,600 
 
 Patent ship cradle dredging machine, &c 3,100 
 
 Copper, pumps, forges, hydraulic pump 32,146 
 
 Cranes, &c 13,280 
 
 Total u . £15,426
 
 332 SEBASTOPOL OXCE MORE. 
 
 This, tal^en with the French return, gives the total in the 
 list; but there is an immense number of small articles which 
 would swell this inventory to a formidable extent. The Kara- 
 belnaia, or English side, it will be observed, contained the 
 largest and most valuable portion of the articles captured. The 
 fourteen bells were divided thus — one of 250000 kilos. French 
 Pare de Siege, one 21 cwt. ditto, one 16 cwt. ditto, one 533'00 
 kilos, at Right Siege Train, another of 146'00 kilos, at ditto, one 
 88-00 kilos, at French Park de Siege, one 76-00 kilos, at Right 
 Siege Train, one of 1 cwt. at Pare de Siege, one of 3 qrs. 221b. 
 at ditto, ditto ; one of 3 qrs. 171b. at Pare du Moulin ; one of 
 36-00 kilos, at Right Siege Train ; one of 26-451b. at French 
 Pare de Siege ; one of O'OO kilos, at General Mazare's office. 
 
 The quantity of wood taken from the place is very great, and 
 the town still furnishes our officers, who are left to their own 
 resources, with vast supplies— only to be got under fire how- 
 ever — of wood, iron, bricks, and cut stone. It is a hard tug for 
 horses and men to get them up from the city, and the enemy are 
 sure to send a shot at them whenever they see a party engaged 
 in collecting wood or building materials. I fear there is no- 
 thing of mtere-st to be found in my diary. The army is busy 
 hutting itself, and it will soon be in a condition to bid the 
 weather defiance. The extent of canvas, however, which still 
 meets the eye would astonish a stranger. The tents stand out 
 distinctly amid the dingy huts and wigwams, and are apt to 
 engage the attention exclusively. The French are far behind 
 us in their preparations for making themselves comfortable for 
 the winter. Their main road is not nearly completed, and the 
 Sardinians get on but slowly with their branch to Kamara. 
 
 Saturday. 
 
 The weather continues fine. The changes announced in the 
 staff and in the army are large. The army will be divided, it 
 is said, into two corps of three divisions each — one to be under 
 the command of Sir Colin Campbell, if he will accept it ; the 
 other under that of General Eyre. The staff of generals will 
 stand thus : — 
 
 Commander-in-Chief, Sir W. J. Codrington. 
 
 Chief of the Staff, Major-General Windham. 
 
 Light Division, Lord W. Paulet. 
 
 Guards' Division, Lord Rokeby. 
 
 Second Division, Major-General Barnard, late Chief of the Staff.
 
 CHANGE IN THE COMMAND. 333 
 
 Thu-d Division, Sir R. Eyre. 
 Pourth Division, JMajor-General Garrett. 
 Highland Division, Brigadier-General Cameron, ^ro tcm. 
 Quartermaster-General, Colonel P. Herbert. 
 The Kail'a expedition is knocked on the head, and the troops 
 ■will disembark to-morrow morning. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 General Codrington has assumed the command of the army 
 from this day, and has announced it in the following Order, 
 which has been i-eceived with satisfaction by the army : — 
 
 "Head-Quarters, Sebastopol, November 12. 
 
 " I have assumed the command of the army in obedience to 
 Her Majesty's orders. It is with a feeling of pride and with a 
 feeling of confidence in the support which I know will be heartily 
 given to any officer honoured with such a commission. 
 
 " The armies of France and Sardinia are united with us on 
 this ground. We know their gallantry well, for we have seen 
 it; we know their friendship, for we have profited by it; we 
 have shared difficulties, dangers, and successes — the groundwork 
 of mutual esteem ; and all will feel it our pleasure, as well as 
 our duty, to carry on that kindly intercourse which is due to the 
 intimate alliance of the nations themselves. Our army will 
 always preserve its high character in the field. The sobriety, 
 the good conduct, and the discipline which it is our duty to 
 maintain are the best sureties of future success, and I trust to 
 the efibrts and assistance of all ranks in thus keeping the army 
 to be an instrument of honour, of power, and of credit to 
 England. 
 
 " W. J. CODKINGTON, 
 
 " General Commander of the Forces." 
 
 General Simpson's farewell appeared last night, and is as 
 follows : — 
 
 " General Sir James Simpson announces to the army that the 
 Queen has been graciously pleased to permit him to resign the 
 command of this army, and to appoint General Sir William 
 Codrington, K.C.B., to be his successor. 
 
 " On resigning his command, the General desires to express to 
 the troops the high sense he entertains of the admirable conduct 
 of the officers and men of this army during the time he has had
 
 334 A CATASTROPHE. 
 
 tlie honour to serve witli them. In talcing leave of them, he 
 tenders his hest thanks to all ranlcs, and offers his earnest wishes 
 for their success and honour in all the future operations of this 
 noble army. 
 
 " General Sir William Codrington will be pleased to assume 
 the command of the army to-morrow, the 11th instant. 
 
 " By order, 
 " H. W. Baknaed, Chief of the Staff." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 A CATASTEOPIIE. 
 
 A catastrophe unparalleled in the annals of war — Casualties in the Light 
 Division from tlie explosion — Loss experienced by tlie right siege-train 
 — Friglitfui appearance of the dead — Agony of the wounded — Their 
 heroic fortitude — Courage and kindness of the surgeons — Visit of Sir 
 W. Codrington to the scene of the calamity — An explosion heliind 
 Mackenzie's farm — The explosion supposed to be the work of an incen- 
 diary — Embarkation of English cavalry — The Czar believed by some to 
 be with the army of the Tchernaya — An interesting conversation. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, Kovemher 17. 
 This month of November would seem to be ruled by some 
 genius unfavourable to our arms. If it gave to us the glorious 
 remembrance of a profitless and bloody victory, it also brought 
 with it a day of disaster and gloom — the beginning of a long 
 series of calamities. The first anniversary of that day had passed 
 away amid mutual congratulations and reminiscences, rendered 
 all the more joyous by the contrast between the present and the 
 past. Next day we beheld a spectacle of unusual splendour and 
 grandeur, one indeed which no native of these isles has ever yet 
 ■witnessed, so far as I am aware. Again those feelings of con- 
 gratulation found utterance ; the purity of the air — the health of 
 the troops — the abundance of stores — the excellence of the roads 
 — the quantity of hutting — the hospital accommodation — the 
 fineness of the day — the beauty of the sky — the dryness ol' the 
 soil — the prospects of the army — the bright hued future : all 
 these were contrasted by a myriad tongues in endless difference 
 of phrase, coloured by many a recollection of personal sufi'ering. 
 There was no sorrow, no calamity could reach us now, and of all 
 things which fate could grant us, most of all were we desirous of 
 meeting that alone with which fate seemed to threaten us — an
 
 THE DREADFUL EXPLOSION, 335 
 
 assault by tlie enemy. But, sudclt'nly, up from the very centre 
 of our Ciunp, so that every ear should hear and every eye shoidd 
 see, rushes with such a crash as may forewarn the world of its 
 doom, and with such a burst of ilame and smoke as may never 
 yet have been seen by man, except in the throes of some primeval 
 eruption, a ghastly pillar of sulphureous vapour. It spreads as 
 it rises, bearing aloft for hundreds of yards men, horses, frag- 
 ments of limbs, rocks, shells, and cannon shot, and then raining 
 them down again as it extends its folds in writhing involutions, 
 as though it were tortured by the fire within, over the astounded 
 soldiery below ! For a moment the boldest lost heart, and 
 " the bravest held his breath." There was no safety in flight — 
 the wings of the wind could not have left that dreadful 
 shower of iron behind ; and as one of the most collected and cool 
 soldiers in the army said to me, " I had only presence of mind 
 to throw myself on the ground and ask the forgiveness of God, 
 and I received His mercy !" My reading in military matters is 
 not sufficient to enable me to say, with any confidence, that 
 there never was so terrible an explosion ; but having witnessed, 
 and heard the explosions at Paulovskaia and Kertch, at 
 Oczakotf, of the French magazines on the 17th of October last, 
 and of the Eussian forts on the 9th of September, I must say 
 that, in volume of sound, in appalling effect, they were fiir 
 exceeded in vehemence and grandeur by this tremendously 
 abrupt and startling catastrophe. The quantity of Russian 
 powder which went up was about 1700 barrels, and there were 
 about 800 barrels of French powder exploded in the three maga- 
 zines. Ea(;h barrel contained about 1001b. weight of gun- 
 powder, so that the total quantity which furnished the elements 
 of this prodigious combustion cannot have been less than 
 250,0001b. But in addition to that enormous mass of powder 
 there wei-e vast mounds of shell, carcasses, rockets, and small- 
 arm ammunition, contributing to the intensity and violence of 
 the fiery blast. The earth shook. The strongest houses rocked 
 to and fro. Men felt as if the very ground upon which they 
 stood was convulsed by an earthquake. The impression of these 
 few moments can never be eradicated. One's confidence in the 
 stability of the very earth was staggered. Suppositos incedemus 
 ignes. What part of the camp is safe after such a catastrophe ? 
 As to Its cause we know nothing. One of our artillerymen in 
 the adjoining park declares that he saw a tent catch fire in the 
 French pare de siege, close to some shells.
 
 336 A CATASTROPHE. 
 
 Thuhsdat, Kt/vemher 13. 
 
 Eleven field batteries, and two heavy batteries, seventy-two 
 guns in all, in heavy marching order, were inspected by General 
 Codrington, at ten this morning, on the plains of Balaklava, 
 which was nearly filled by the enormous masses of men and 
 horses. There were many spectators, comprising the Sardinian 
 General and Etat-Major, and some French officers. About 
 3'30 P.M., in the midst of all our happiness, the French pare 
 de siege blew up, hurling shells, shot, and ball for nearly a mile 
 in every direction over the camp, blowing down huts, shattering 
 ambulances and hospitals to atoms, and threatening all with 
 ruin. The fire reached some of our shells and rockets, which 
 exploded with violence, but the artillery officers greatly distin- 
 guished themselves in removing live shell amid the flames, and 
 in placing blankets on the mill in which some of our powder is 
 deposited. General Codrington, General Windham, Sir Jt. Airey, 
 &e., were speedily on the spot, and did all they could to restore 
 confidence and prevent any further damage. But the results 
 have been melancholy. 
 
 The casualties in the Light Division were as follows : — 
 
 Killed. Wounded. 
 
 7th Fusiliers 1 . . 12 
 
 19th Regiment . . 9 
 
 23rd Fusiliers 2 . . 6 
 
 33rd Regiment 2 . . 13 
 
 34th Regiment 1 . . 14 
 
 77th Regiment 3 . . 6 
 
 88th Regiment . . 2 
 
 90th Regiment . . 1 
 
 Rifle Brigade 1 . . 6 
 
 Total ... 10 . . 69 
 
 The right siege train has suffered as severely — seven poor 
 fellows were buried this evening, and the bodies of three more 
 artillerymen were so torn and scattered that their remains could 
 not be collected for interment. To this loss of ten must be 
 added for the present that of seven artillerymen, who are still 
 " missing." The total of the casualties in the train amounts to 
 fifty-two. Poor Yellon, Deputy-Assistant Commissary of the 
 field train, a most active, zealous officer, whose name is mentioned 
 along with that of Mr. Hayter in Colonel St. George's despatch, 
 which has just been published here, was blown to pieces and 
 frightfully mutilated. Lieutenant Eoberts had his left arm 
 broken, and was severely biu'ntj and Lieutenant Dawson has
 
 ENDURANCE OF PAIN. 337 
 
 lost liis log above the ankle from the effects of a dead shell, 
 which struck hiin in its descent, as he was in the act of carrying 
 off a live shell from the park to a place of safety. The legs, 
 arms, and trunks of men were blown into the camps of the Rifle 
 Brigade and of the 3J)th Regiment, on the extreme right of the 
 Light Division. I saw lying amid a heap of ruins, of old iron 
 stores, rubbish, shot, splinters of shell and beams of wood, a 
 man's arm scorched and burnt black, on which the tattered 
 pieces of clothing retained the traces of a sergeant's gold stripes. 
 The dead were too terrible to look upon ; but the living in their 
 agony were still more frightful. I solemnly declare that from 
 the lips of none of these mutilated masses which I saw stretched 
 out in long rows in every hospital did I hear either groan or 
 sigh. No sound escaped them, as those who could see rolled 
 their sad orbs and gazed upon the stranger, except in one 
 instance, when an involuntary expression of pain was uttered by 
 a poor French soldier in the hospital of the 23rd, where he had 
 just been trepanned, and was all but beyond the reach of his 
 misery. Although the Russians have been justly praised for 
 their endvu'ance of pain, I must say I never beheld them submit 
 to such tortm-es as our men experienced. As I looked upon the 
 shattered frames before me in which such noble spirits were 
 enshrined, I could but remember the howls of a Russian 
 corporal, at Kinburn, who had been wounded in the heel. He 
 probably wished to excite compassion, for on finding that he was 
 to be placed on a French cacolet, by the orders of Dr. Gordon, 
 Lis cries w^ere frightful. The surgeons displayed the greatest 
 courage and kmdness, and every man was at his post in the 
 midst of fire and shell. Drs. Alexander, Mure, Watt, Mouatt, 
 and Longraore, particularly distinguished themselves, and the 
 first mentioned brought up the ambulances to the spot while 
 shell were bursting in all directions. 
 
 S\'ovember 16. 
 
 Sir W. Codrington visited the scene of the calamity soon 
 after dawn this morning, and gave dii'ections respecting the care 
 of the wounded and the safety of the park. The French are 
 busy in clearing away the ruins. 
 
 Xovember 17, 11 a.m. 
 
 There is a considerable movement among the Russian troops 
 on the heights about Mackenzie's Farm. Three large columns of 
 infantry, about a mile apart, are advancing towards the Western 
 Belbek, through the brushwood, and their arms can be seen 
 
 VOL. II. Z
 
 338 A CATASTROPHE. 
 
 flasHng in the sun all over the dark surface of the plateau. 
 About eight o'clock this mornhig, an explosion was observed in 
 the Eussian camp behind Mackenzie's Farm, but it was of no 
 great magnitude. I saw the smoke distinctlj^ but I could not 
 hear any noise, and therefore mixch mischief could not have been 
 done, for the morning was calm, and the explosion not quite five 
 miles distant. The Trench batteries in the city preserve silence, 
 and the Russians seem to be gettmg tu-ed of wasting shot and 
 shell on such contemptuous foes. 
 
 I regret to say that several of the sufferers from the explosion 
 have succumbed in our hospitals. Many of those who have 
 undergone amputations and severe operations are doing well; 
 but the sudden shock of the explosion and its frightful effects 
 have so shaken the nervous system that it is very difficult to 
 establish a reaction. The wounded officers are doing well. 
 Marshal Pelissier has named a commission of inquiry to report 
 on the cause of the disastrous accident. Our men declare, of 
 course, that it was the work of an incendiary. General Codrington 
 seemed to give credence to the report inasmuch as he ordered the 
 army to turn out an hoiu- before daybreak, to be prepared for the 
 Russians if they really had anj'thing to do with the act, and calcu- 
 lated on crippling us so far that they might attack us with better 
 chance of success than before. The embark ation of our cavalry still 
 continues, and in a few days the 11th Hussars will be the only 
 regiment of English horse left in the Crimea. It woidd have 
 been much more economical in the end, and in the opinion of 
 most cavalry officers far more judicious, if the regiments had 
 been left in the Crimea for the winter. The horses and men could 
 have been drilled and might have worked together whenever it 
 was fine, and young animals of both kinds might have been broken 
 in to curb and discipline. Several of the regiments had already 
 provided excellent stabling for the winter, and had ample cover for 
 their horses. The men in vaany instances were hutted, the roads 
 up to their camps are in fair order, and there is no fear that either 
 the men or the horses would be required to undergo the hard 
 work or the privations of the last winter, when they were 
 obliged to go to Balaklava, knee deep in mud, every day to draw 
 their rations, fodder, and fuel. The commanding officers fear 
 that in Scutari or the Greek villages, where thej may be quar- 
 tered, the men will have only too many opportunities of obtain- 
 ing ardent spirits, and that they will be far less fit for active 
 service in the field — both man and horse — than if they had
 
 SIR RICHARD AIREY. 339 
 
 remained encamped and liuttod near Karanyi. The cost of carry- 
 ing the cavalry to and fro will be very heavy, but that is, of 
 course, not to be considered if the operation itself be necessary 
 or desirable. It certainly would have taken less money to pro- 
 vide huts and stablini,^ for those regiments that required them 
 than to carrj' them from the Crimea and back again. However, 
 the thing is now done. The pressure on the narrow harbour of 
 Balaklava will certainly be much lessened by sending the cavalry 
 awaj'', for an immense reduction will necessarily take place in 
 the quantity of corn, hay, straw, and rations to be carried to it 
 from the various parts of the Black Sea and from Constan- 
 tinople. The notion of employing a large cavalry force at 
 Eupatoria or near it, is fallacious, for the Russians command the 
 scanty water supplies, and the allies would have to force the 
 Russian positions ere our cavalry could operate. Even then 
 their services would be limited to a small district, or to the area 
 over which they could carry their own supply of water. 
 
 Lieutenant- General Sir Richard Airey, late Qnartermaster- 
 General of the army, returns to England to-day. He succeeded 
 to that arduous post on the retirement of Lord de Ros, a little 
 before the expedition for the Crimea left Varna, and up to that 
 time he commanded a brigade of the Light Division as plain 
 Brigadier Airey, but his attainments as a scientific officer were 
 well known, and it was supposed that he would fill the office of 
 Quartermaster-General with distinguished success. However, 
 the mild and quagmires of Balaklava tarnished his reputation. 
 He was overlaid with office work, unable to procure labour, and 
 attacked by sickness and a painfiil affisction of the eyes, which 
 scarcely left him a moment's freedom from pain, and at times 
 entii'elj^ prevented his attendance to his duties, and his admi- 
 nistration was not so successful as it was expected to be, nor did 
 the arrangements of the Balaklava charge, which led to the 
 memorable Cardigan-Lucan controversy, exhibit much of the 
 lucidus ordo for which a Quartermaster-General should be 
 above all things distinguished. What difficulties General Airey 
 may have had to contend against no one knows so well as 
 himself, and he can best explain, no doubt, the reason why he 
 failed in achieving what, after all, may have been an impossibility 
 to any one but a man of great genius, vast resources, indomi- 
 table will, untiring perseverance, and unfailing strength, spirits, 
 and animal energy. 
 
 General Windham leaves the Fourth Division this afternoon, 
 z2
 
 340 RELAXATION. 
 
 and goes up to l\oad-quartcrs in order to enter upon his duties 
 as Chief of the Staff, as soon as Sir Eichard Airey has left, and 
 General Bai-nard takes the command of the Second Division. 
 Some people here firmly helieve that the Czar is with the army 
 of the Tchernaya, and that we shall yet have a fight. If it be 
 well founded, His Majesty can indulge in a good look at the 
 English troops, in which his family profess to take such an 
 interest. 
 
 A sergeant of the first battalion of the Rifle Brigade, who 
 was taken prisoner in the trenches during the siege about this 
 time twelvemonth, has recently been exchanged. He states 
 that he was brought before one of the Grand Dukes at the time 
 of his capture in Sebastopol, who addressed him in good English : 
 — " You are of the Rifle Brigade ?" " Yes, sir." " Ah ! I 
 know your regiment well, and take great interest in them. 
 Does Lawrence command yom- battalion ?" " No, sii'. Colonel 
 Norcott ?" " Ah ! I know Norcott ; did he command j^ou yes- 
 terday (which was the day of Inkermann), or Lawrence ?" 
 "Colonel Norcott did, sir; I'm of the first battalion." "And 
 where were you engaged ?" " In the trenches, sir." The 
 Grand Duke then inquired after several ofiicers by name, and 
 said to the sergeant, " Well, I'll see that you are well pro- 
 vided for ; I like the Rifle Brigade, and have always taken an 
 interest in them." The sergeant was well taken care of, and so 
 far fared better than the prisoners who were sent from Simphe- 
 ropol to Kharkoff". 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 EELAXATIOX. 
 
 Extraordinary mildness of the season — The abandonment of the siege 
 advocated by some — An old soldier's advice — The flank march — Sir 
 George Cathcart's sagacity — The prize once within our grasp — Ex- 
 cellent condition of the English troops — Army friendships — The hos- 
 pital kitchens — M. Soycr's stove — Ingenious contrivances — Decorations 
 of the oflicers' huts — Thefts — Sliocking murder of an English sailor 
 near Kasatch — Skill of the English army surgeons — Wonderful opera- 
 tions — Miss Nightingale's attention to tlic comforts of the Sardinian 
 sick — Making arrow-root. 
 
 Before SEBASToroL, November 20. 
 EiTHEE last year was remarkable in the annals of the Crimea 
 for its severity, or we are enjoying a season of exceptionable
 
 THE PAST WINTER. 341 
 
 mildness. Storms have lowered over us and passed away; dark 
 skies have threatened us and melted into iloods of golden sun- 
 Jieains. The wind seems to be busied in tossing the French 
 steamers at sea and keeping the mail late, in which it succeeds 
 very eft'ectually, so that our letters are behind time with the 
 greatest regularity. The country is open in every direction to 
 carriage, man, or beast; the trenches are dry; in fact, th? 
 weather presents contrasts of endless variety to that which pre- 
 vailed last year, and affords ground for infinite speculation and 
 comment. There is no reason, however, to suppose that the 
 English army would have had much reason to congratulate 
 itself on the fact that the clemency of the season had averted 
 the evils which want of roads, excessive fatigue, and a false posi- 
 tion would have entailed upon them, inasmuch as it is certain 
 the bad weather paralysed the enemy, cut oif their reserves, im- 
 peded their transport of food, and of reinforcements, and pre- 
 vented their making another attempt — not at Inkermann, of 
 which they had to their cost learnt the strength, but from the 
 Traktir bridge, or at some other point of the Tchernaya then in 
 their possession, from which they could have debouched into 
 the plain of Balaklava, and made a grand attack on the rear 
 of om- lines. Although those lines were greatly strengthened, and 
 the profile altered and improved, in November last, when rumom-s 
 to the efiect that the Russians were gathering a force towards 
 Baidar, with the intention of assaulting us, prevailed, they were 
 far from being perfect or unassailable. We now learn that the 
 country between Tchongar, Perekop, and SImpheropol was in 
 such a state that it was with the utmost difficulty the garrison 
 of Sebastopol could be fed, and that very strong reinforcements 
 were kept for weeks waiting at Odessa, Nicholaieff", and Cherson, 
 till thej'- coiUd march into the Crimea, and were, finally, detained 
 till the spring of this year. But for these impediments, the 
 Eussians would have had a prodigious army about Sebastopol 
 this time twelvemonth, or early in December, and if they were 
 indisposed to try another Inkermann, they could certainly have 
 pressed us much harder in the trenches and wearied our men by 
 strong and repeated sorties, to which, as it now appears, their 
 hard-worked and exhausted garrison was not adequate. At 
 times it was difficult for even a single battalion to march from 
 the army of the Belbek or jMackenzie's Farm into the city, or 
 to effect the usual reliefs. If to these considerations be - added 
 the notorious sentiments and opinions of persons high in autho-
 
 342 RELAXATIOX. 
 
 rity, Avho advocated the ahandonr,ient of the siec/e, and tlie 
 retreat of the army from the Crimea after the battle of luker- 
 raann, it will be seen that our prospects would not have been 
 much better had weather like that we now enjoy prevailed last 
 winter. One of the best soldiers in the army — a veteran 
 of great and vai'icd experience — was so convinced of the 
 dangers and falsity of our position, that he strongly advised 
 the Commander-in-Chief to withdraw om* ai'my, and renew 
 the attempt on Sebastopol in another form this yeai\ The 
 inconvenience to which the famous flank march had subjected 
 the army became more apparent every day after the failui-e 
 of the first bombardment. The flank march was opposed, 
 or was viewed with disfavour, by oflicers of great authority, and 
 by one whose sagacity and skiU are seldom deceived in military 
 operations, although he is not a soldier, and does not command 
 on land. The descent on the Crimea itself was a bold stroke 
 towards the captm-e of Sebastopol. The battle of the Alma left 
 the approach to the city open to us whenever we liked. Prince 
 MenschikoS"s flank march to Bakshiserai and Simpheropol, 
 although somewhat ridiculed at the time, is now considered a 
 judicious and daring movement, but it certainly uncovered the 
 north of Sebastopol, the Tchernaya, and Balaklava : and, as it 
 was determined by our generals to abandon the dashing character 
 of the expedition, and to assume for our operations a strategical 
 chai'acter, to which they had no previous pretensions, we were 
 obliged to look out for harbom-s, and the inlets of Balaklava, 
 Kamiesch, and Kasat(ih met the eye and fixed om* destiny. 
 Then came the period during which, without let or liindr;ince, 
 or attempt at interference or prevention, the Eussians were 
 allowed to recover from tlieii' surprise and alarm and flock back 
 to Sebastopol, under the direction of a man of extraordinary 
 genius. Then they began the rudiments of the vast works 
 which baffled our eflbrts for eleven long months of trial, suffer- 
 ing, and bloodshed, heroically endured and overcome. Now it 
 is perceived that if the advice of Su- George Cathcart had been 
 followed, the city might have been ours by a vigorous assault on 
 the day after we arrived on this plateau. The ships alone could 
 never have defended the place, and the gi'eater portion of the 
 feeble garrison, such as it was, consisted of the equ'qjciges, or 
 crews, of those very ships. The enemy when they retreated to 
 the north side would have been as impotent as they are now, 
 and Sebastopol, in all its beauty, and with all its vast stores and
 
 DISCUSSIONS IN THE ARMY. 343 
 
 riclies, would have been in our possession. Tliat is tlie lij'po- 
 thesis as to the result of vigorous action from the south side. 
 But had we approached the cit_y from the north side, there can 
 be no doubt that the forts would speedily have fallen, the fire of 
 the shipping could have affected our operations very slightly, 
 and the only inconvenience would have been the want of a har- 
 bom*. The anchorage is good all along the coast up to Eupa- 
 toria, and, except on the great gale of the 14th of November, no 
 damage would have occurred to our merchantmen or men-of-war 
 riding off the coast. The mouths of the Katcha, or even of the 
 Belbek, when the fire of the battery which just reached the 
 latter was reduced, could have been made available for landing 
 such stores and materiel as we required. With the northern 
 forts the whole city of Sebastopol and the remainder of the fleet 
 would have been ours ; our army could have reposed on its 
 laurels for the winter in an impregnable position ; a year would 
 have been saved in the war ; and the Crimea would have been 
 cleared of the llussians early in the spring of this year. Such 
 is the hj'pothesis respecting operations from the north side. 
 Such are the discussions which arise in the army now that it 
 rests from its labours and sees a vanquished enemy gathering 
 strength in a position which to us appears impregnable or unas- 
 sailable. As to future operations it is not becoming in me to 
 speak, but the Russian General must be a man of extraordinary 
 confidence if he thinks that on the return of spring he can extri- 
 cate his army fi-om the grasp of an enemy which already clutches 
 the whole of his coast, is established at two points in his rear, 
 and has four distinct bases of operations, with sufficient troops 
 to use them all, and to concentrate a prodigious force on any 
 point he pleases. The Russian infantry, in spite of its stub- 
 born endurance and passive courage, is not equal to either 
 French, Sardinian, English, or Turkish troops. Every day 
 shows us that it has no chance even against the latter when 
 they are led and officered by Englishmen or brave and skilful 
 European soldiers. Their cavalry in equal nximbers will be 
 ridden down like grass whenever they stand against English or 
 French squadi'ons ; and notwithstanding the excellence of their 
 artiUerj^ compared with other arms of their service, it cannot 
 compete with ours for an instant as regards rapidity of motion 
 or precision of fire. Prince Gortschakoff wiU be a grand strate- 
 gist opposed to very weak generals if he succeeds in saving his 
 array and marching them scatheless frona the Crimea. The
 
 344 KELAXATIOX. 
 
 health of our troops is excellent ; the draiights wliich arrive are 
 rather younger than is desirable, but they will obtain experience 
 and instruction during the winter. They are admirably clotlied, 
 and fed as no army was ever fed before — fresh meat, bread, and 
 vegetables are issued to all. Henceforth the men are to receive 
 fresh meat only three times a week, and bread only three times 
 a week, instead of every day. On the other days they will have 
 pork or salt beef, and excellent biscuit. In respect of winter 
 clothing, hutting, and feeding, om- men are immeasurably better 
 off than our allies, and it is not unusual to see the latter eating- 
 in the English camp of the excess of our soldiers' cooking kettles. 
 Little friendships have sprung up in this way. " Franceese" 
 oomes over with his spoon, a smile, an onion, and a bit of salt, 
 or a savoury condiment, to some sapper or grenadier, day after 
 day, about dinner time, indulges in pantomimic conversation, 
 interlarded with many " bonos," and regales on good soup and 
 broth, to the great delight of his entertainer. Thus both are 
 satisfied — a true entente cordiale is established through the 
 medium of the stomach, and no one is a loser. The reinforce- 
 ments to our ally contain, like our own, many very young men, 
 and I was particularly struck with the youthful appearance of 
 the men of a regiment which arrived at Kamiesch on Monday. 
 
 The hospital kitchens are certainly worth seeing, and M. Soyer 
 has, by the introduction of his stoves, and of an improved system 
 oimenage, contributed to render them efficient. His stove would 
 be still more valuable if it roasted or baked as well as boiled, but 
 at present the last is the only operation to which it is suited, 
 ar.d the old camp kettle always did that as well, however, 
 with a much greater consumption and waste of fuel. In 
 economizing the latter scarce and most expensive article by the 
 introduction of his stove, M. Soyer has rendered a considerable 
 service. No article presses more heavily on the resources of the 
 commissariat department, is more bulky and difficult of transit 
 and more expensive, than wood for fuel. 
 
 The use of the camp stoves is very limited, and, indeed, such 
 improvements have been suggested by experience, and forced by 
 necessity upon officers and men, that in many instances the 
 most accomplished cordon bleto could suggest nothing to be 
 added or removed from the regimental kitchens, made or in 
 course of construction. The spoils of Sebastopol have materially 
 contributed to our comforts and efficiency in this respect. 
 Kitchen ranges, boilers, ii'on bars, Stourbridge bricks — I have
 
 MECHANICAL INGENUITY. 345 
 
 some in a cliimney built into the side of my liut, and marked 
 " Harpers, Stourbridge" — ovens, brass, iron, and copper stoves, 
 pots and pans, Hues, kettles, and hundreds of similar articles, 
 have been seized and utilized with wonderful tact. Fine well- 
 built cookhouses are constructed from the cut stone of Sebas- 
 topol which lies in large blocks around unfinished houses or is 
 taken from the ruined edifices and walls about the place. jNIe- 
 chanical ingenuity has been largely developed in the use of 
 resources. One officer converts the funnel of a small steamer 
 into a chimney ; another uses one of the pipes of an engine as 
 a hot-air apparatus to heat his hut ; a third has arranged a por- 
 tion of machinery so that he can communicate from his salon, 
 sleeping-room, and dining-room (three single gentlemen rolled 
 into one) with his cook in the adjacent kitchen, and dinner is 
 handed through direct from the fii'e to the table, after the 
 fashion of those mysterious apparatus which obey the behests 
 of London waiters in the matter of roast meats, boiled beefs, and 
 their satellites. Many officers have distinguished themselves by 
 the trouble they have taken in showing the men how to make 
 themselves comfortable. The number of those employed on the 
 roads and in various other ways has rendered it difficult to get 
 on with these works, and in many cases the officers are unable 
 to complete their huts for want of wood and labom*, and the 
 unfinished walls stand in grim ruin here and there about the 
 camp. Wood, canvas, little bits of glass, tar and pitch, and, 
 above all, nails and tacks, are eagerly sought after. At the 
 head-quarters' sale, on General Simpson's departure the other 
 day, a hammer, hatchet, and saw sold for 2,1. ISs. A bag of 
 nails was disposed of by auction the same week for 40s., and on 
 counting the contents it was found there were only 130 nails in 
 the bag. Friendly little felonies of planking and such things 
 are not unheard of, and the greatest favour you can do a friend 
 is " to let him have a piece of board about six feet long by a 
 foot wide ;" or, " The Captain says, sii', as how he'd be very 
 gx'ateful if you could give him a bit of glass about three inches 
 square, sir, for his winder." The heart soon grows hardened 
 under such constant pressure, and one is obliged at last to refuse 
 " a couple of tenpenny nails" or " the loan of a hammer for an 
 hour" with the sternness of a Erutus. Pictures of saints, the 
 erotic scripture pieces, in which the Muscovites delight, fat 
 Potiphar's wives and garmentless Josephs, veiy plump 
 Susannahs and very withered elders, and " subjects" of the
 
 346 KELAXATIOK 
 
 kind, as well as straiglit-baclvetl iincomfortable arm-chairs of 
 waluut, heavy tables, and chests of drawers, are not uncommon 
 in the officers' huts. Cats j'rom Sebastopol abound in camp, and 
 are very useful, inasmuch as the huts are overrun with rats and 
 mice, not to speak of other small deer, now disappearing before 
 the march of King Frost. Dogs have come in from the deserted 
 city, and domesticate themselves whether j'ou will or not. There 
 are alwaj's an odd half-dozen about my hut and tent, which 
 make night hideous with their quarrels — greyhounds, mastiffs, 
 and sheep-dogs, and tlieir descendants, of very mixed and in- 
 distinct types ; and for two whole days our peace was menaced 
 by a hiige double-humped Bactrian camel, which took a fancy 
 to the space before the door, and lay there constantly, so that 
 om- legs as we went out and in were within easy reach of liis 
 prodigious teeth. But he was a good-natured brute, and never 
 attempted to bite unless one tried to mount him, when lie dis- 
 gorged his food, and spat it out at the assailant or snapped his 
 jaws at him in terrorem. However, no one was sorry when he 
 heard that the " ship of the desert" had got under way in the 
 night, and had sailed off on a piratical excm-sion against other 
 infidel habitations. There are, however, thefts committed in 
 camp more serious than those of planks or nails. Blankets are 
 not safe tl\ese chilly nights on horses in outlying stables, and 
 the regiments that came back from Kinbm-n found their liuts 
 broken into and robbed on their return. The officers' furniture 
 and clothing were gone. Indeed, there is a system of petty 
 thieving going on in camp which is very discreditable, but I 
 am inclined to tliink it is not the work of our soldiers, or if 
 it be, that there are not more than two or three who do all 
 the mischief. On three occasions this Aveek my horses Vv-ere 
 turned loose, and on two they were deprived of their blankets 
 and clothing : a spade and a hatchet wei'e stolen from the out- 
 side of the hut, and last night the thieves entered the stables 
 of the Land Transport Corps of the Division close at hand, 
 turned some horses loose, and stole their blankets. Geese 
 arrived at a fair state of obesity, turkeys, and fowl are not safe 
 for a moment, and it is almost impossible to identify the 
 robbers. However, the Provost-Sergeants are on the look-out, 
 and it is their opinion that some of the canteenmen, or rather 
 the sutlers' followers, are the guilty people. I regret to say that 
 a, very shocking murder was committed near Kasatch on Sunday 
 night, or early on Monday morning. Tlio body of an English
 
 EXTRAORDINARY SURGICAL CASES. 347 
 
 sailoi', covered witli stabs to the number of eighteen, many of 
 them in the belly, and some apparently inilicted by a bayonet, 
 was found as I was down at Kasatch j-esterday, not very far from 
 a French guard. The soldiers knew nothing about the affair, 
 and as the body has not yd been identified, no one can tell 
 whether the murder was committed for the sake of plunder. 
 A short time previously I was disgusted and horrified by stjeing 
 one of the Maltese boats towing the body of a sailor out ffom 
 Ealaklava hai-bour, as if it was the carcass of a dog. A rope 
 had been tied round the waist, and a stone was fastened to the 
 other end, which lay in the boat, in order to sink the remains at 
 sea. I was told there were marks of violence on the throat, 
 but no one could tell anything about the man, except that his 
 body had started from the bottom and was floating about till 
 disposed of in this disgraceful and revolting manner. They 
 might, at all events, have put the corpse into a sack. 
 
 Mr. Stafford is going, it is understood, to move for an inquiiy 
 into the grievances of the medical department on the meeting of 
 Parliament. Some of the very best medical officers in this or 
 any service are so disgusted, that they say they will retire, and 
 the}- certainly would do so but from their sense of duty. They 
 receive no honours or promotions, no matter what their zeal, 
 abilities, endurance, or services may be. No mention was made 
 of their department by General Simpson in his orders, and when 
 Sir Richard Airey was applied to by some of the medical officers, 
 he assured them that the omission would be corrected. Week 
 after week has, however, passed away, and not a word has been 
 said of their sei-vices, while the Frencli surgeons are loaded 
 with honours, and this, too, at the very time that they are 
 visiting our hospitals in order to study the wonderful cases of 
 consei-vative surgery which may be witnessed there. 
 
 The Sardinian officers, who have visited our ambulances, 
 declare that they are superior to the French, and have taken 
 much interest in the cases referred to, which exhibit great skill 
 and professional knowledge. In some instances the elbow-joint 
 having been injm'ed, the sm'geon has made clean surfaces on the 
 bones of the lower and upper arms, cut away the fractured 
 pieces, and then brought the surfaces together, and the bones 
 have joined by a false joint, or by a sort of ligamentous union, 
 making a stiff short arm indeed, but with a serviceable hand 
 attached to it. The prmciple is extended to other injuries of 
 limbs, and has never, perhaps, been adopted to such an extent in
 
 348 RELAXATION. 
 
 the field as it now is by our Eiiglisli army surgeons. jMiss 
 Kightingalo has contributed to the comforts of the Sardinian 
 sick, as well as to the amelioration of the condition of our own 
 poor fellows. A Sardinian surgeon, who received some arrow- 
 root, or "fecule," as he called it, from her, said the men did 
 not like it. On inquiry it turned out that they merely poured 
 cold water on the arrowroot and served it out without milk, 
 sugar, or wine. No wonder the men thought it a very un- 
 palatable mess. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 The explosion in the French camp — Curious phenomena — Perseverance 
 and courage of the surgeons — A conflagration — A regular panic — A 
 series of explosions — Supposed cause of the disaster — Strange incidents 
 — Miraculous escapes — Shock to the nervous system — Fatal accident 
 in the Kedan — An imprompttt rifle-pit — The gun-boats — Admiral 
 Stewart's squadron — Sir Edmund Lyons — Strength of the British 
 army — Awkward squads — Expedients for getting a light — Libraries 
 and lectures — Triumphs of Fi-ench military skill — The head-quarters' 
 staff. 
 
 I AVILL now proceed with my diary, which is necessarily very 
 meagre in incident, and, indeed, there was no event to chronicle 
 subsequent to the terrible catastrophe of the 15th. I w;is 
 riding from head-quarters reading my letters last Thursday when 
 the explosion took place, and had just reached the hill, or elevated 
 part of the plateau, at the time, and happened to be looking in 
 the very direction of the park. The phenomena were so startling 
 as to take away one's breath. Neither pen nor pencil could 
 describe them. The rush of fire, smoke, and iron, in one great 
 pillar, attained a height I dare not estimate, and then seemed 
 to shoot out like a tree, which overshadowed half the camp on 
 the right, and rained down missiles upon it. The colour of the 
 pillar was dark grey, flushed with red, but it was pitted all over 
 with white pufis of smoke, which marked the explosions of 
 the shells. It retained the shape of a fii- tree for nearly a 
 minute, and then the sides began to swell out and the over- 
 hanging canopy to expand and twist about in prodigious wreaths 
 of smoke, which flew out to the right and left, and let drop, 
 as it were from solution in its embrace, a precipitate of shells, 
 carcases, and iron projectiles. I clapped spurs to my horse and 
 rode off as hard as I could towards the spot as soon as my ears 
 had recovered the shock. The noise was terrible : and when the
 
 TERRIBLE NATURE OF THE EXPLOSION. 349 
 
 shells bej^an to explode, the din was like the opening crash of 
 one of the great cannonades or bombardments of the siege. As 
 I rode along I could see thousands luirrying away from the 
 place, and thousands hastening to it. The smoke became black ; 
 the fire had caught the huts and tents. General Windham 
 overtook me, riding from head-quarters as hard as he could go. 
 He was ignorant of the cause and locality of the explosion, and 
 was under the impression that it was one of the French redoubts. 
 Sir Eichard Airey followed close after him, and General Cod- 
 rington dashed on towards the fire a few minutes afterwards. 
 On arriving within half a mile of the place, I saw that the 
 ground liad been torn up in all directions, the fragments of shell 
 were still smoking, and shell were bursting around in most un- 
 pleasant proximity. Captain Piggott, in a short time after the 
 explosion, came up vnth the ambulances at a gallop, and urged 
 the horses through the flames and amid the exploding shell in 
 order to render assistance to the sufferers ; and in this arduous 
 duty he was manfully and courageously assisted by Surgeons 
 Alexander, Mouatt, and others. As we were all looking on at 
 the raging fire, an alarm was spread that the mill used as a 
 powder magazine had caught fii'e, and a regular panic ensued — 
 horses and men tore like a storm through the camp of the 
 Second Division. I did not escape the contagion, but, at my 
 servant's solicitation, mounted my horse, and rode off like the 
 rest. I soon came up to Colonel Percy Herbert, who was actively 
 engaged in trying to get the men of his division under arms, 
 but could find neither drummers, buglers, officers, nor sergeants. 
 The panic was soon over. The mill did not catch, though the 
 roof and doors and windows were blown in. The officers, in 
 the most devoted way, stripped, and placed 300 wet blankets 
 over the powder inside just as the flames were raging behind 
 the mill and at the side of it within 200 yards. The rockets 
 now began to fly about and to increase the alarm ; but the wind, 
 which had been rather high, abated towards evening, and the fire 
 died out. "While it lasted, the eftects were grand and terrible. 
 Hundreds of rockets rushed hissing and bursting through the 
 air, sheets of flame rushed up from exploding powder, carcases 
 glared out fiercely through black clouds of smoke, and shells 
 burst, tossing high in air burning beams of wood and showers 
 of sparks, and boxes of small-arm ammunition exploded with a 
 rattling report like musketry, and flew about in little balls of 
 fire. The park was an enclosure about 100 yards long by 50
 
 350 RELAXATION. 
 
 deep, suiTOunded by a stone wall, whicli separated it on one side 
 from our right siege train. It contained immense quantities of 
 malMel, and was filled with the huts of the otficers Avho lived 
 in it. There were three mairazines in the place ; they are now 
 black craters, emitting a smell like Gehenna. 
 
 The manner in which this great disaster was caused is said to 
 be this : — Some French artillei-ymen were engaged in shifting 
 powder from case to case in the park, and, as the operation is 
 rather dangerous, every precaution was taken to prevent acci- 
 dents. The powder was poured from one case into the other 
 through copper funnels, and no fire was allowed near the place 
 where the men were so em.ployed. As one of the soldiers was 
 poin-ing the powder out of a case he perceived a fragment of 
 shell gliding out of it into the funnel, and, not wishing to let it 
 get into the other case, he jerked the funnel to one side ; the 
 piece of shell fell on the stones, which were covered with loose 
 powder, and is supposed to have struck fire in its fall, for the 
 explosion took place at once. Miraculous as it may appear, this 
 artilleryman, who was, as it were, in the focus of the explosion, 
 escaped alive, being only slightly burnt and scorched. His 
 comrade, who held the other case, wa.s blown to atoms. Another 
 strange incident was the death of the commandant of the artillery 
 for the day. He was in or near the park at the time of the 
 explosion, and as soon as he had seen everything in order, as far 
 as possible, he went off to have a look at the French batteries in 
 and about Sebastopol, on which the Russians had just then 
 opened a heavy fire. As he rode along, a cannon-shot struck off 
 his head. Such is the story. The escapes that day were as- 
 tounding. Clothes were torn off men's backs ; the chairs or 
 beds ouAvhich they sat, the tables at which they were eating, 
 the earth on which they stood, were broken and torn by shot, 
 shell, rocket irons, shrapnel, grape, canister, and musket balls, 
 which literally rained down upon them. It was fully two 
 minutes ere the heavy voUej's of bursting shells ceased, and then 
 sullen explosions for an hour afterwards warned the spectator 
 li'om the scene. Some of the balls and pieces of shrapnel, whicli 
 must have been projected a prodigious height iaito the air, did 
 not fall to the ground for a minute and a half after the last of 
 the explosions. For two minutes, which seemed as many hours, 
 the terrible shower endured, and descended on the camp. The 
 distance to which fragments flew exceeds belief. It is difficult 
 to explain it by mere names of localities. One piece of shell
 
 EFFECTS OP THE EXPLOSION. ,351 
 
 flew over Catlicart's-hill ; another killed a horse in New Kacllkoi. 
 Some struck men and horses in the Guards' camp. One Hew 
 over my hut ; another struck the ground close to it ; another 
 went into the camp of the Land Transport Corps hehind it. 
 Mrs. Seacolc, who keeps a restaurant near the Col, avers that ;i 
 piece of stone struck her door, which is three and a half or four 
 miles from the park. In the Land Transport Corps of the Light 
 Division fourteen horses were killed and seventeen were wounded. 
 Pieces struck and damaged the huts in New Kadikoi. Appalling 
 as was the shock to those who were near, the effect was little 
 diminished by distance. The roar and concussion were so great 
 in Balaklava that the ships in harbour, and oiitside at anchor, 
 trembled and quivered, and the houses shook to their founda- 
 tions. The ships at Kamiesch and Kasatch reeled and rolled 
 from side to side. Mules and horses, seven and eight miles 
 away, broke loose, and galloped across the country, wild with 
 fright. The noise pealed through the passes at Eaidar like the 
 loudest thunder. In fact, the effect resembled some great con- 
 vulsion of natm'e. iMany thought it was an earthquake ; others 
 fancied it was the outbm-st of a volcano ; others, that the Russians 
 had got hold of Lord Dundonald's invention, and that they had 
 just given it a fii-st trial. Indeed, one officer said to another, as 
 soon as he recovered breath and could speak, " I say, that's a 
 nice sort of thing, is it not ? The sooner we go after that the 
 better." He was persuaded the Russians had thrown some new 
 and unheard-of instrument of destruction into the camp. The 
 sense of hearing was quite deadened in many persons, and their 
 nervous systems have not yet recovered the shock, so that any 
 sudden noise startles them. The French had 6 officers killed 
 and 13 wounded ; 65 of their men, mostly of the artillery, 
 were killed, and 170 were wormded, of whom many will never 
 recover. The destruction in money value of articles appei-tain- 
 ing to the siege train was very great, and if the cost of the 
 import of fi-esh articles be added, the sum will be considerable. 
 But when we come to men — to those gallant fellows who sur- 
 vived the battles and the dangers of the campaign — we feel om* 
 loss is irreparable. What value can be placed on those noble 
 artillerymen of the siege train who, with little praise or encourage- 
 ment, have stood by their guns in so many bombardments, and 
 who had acquired skill, practice, and hardihood in the greatest 
 siege the world ever saw ? It is to be hoped that the non- 
 commissioned officers of the artillery will be rewarded for their
 
 352 TELAXATION. 
 
 exertions by the selection of one of their body to fill Itlr. Yellon's 
 place. He rose from the ranks of the corps, and when he and 
 Mr. Hayter were appointed as Commissaries of the Field Train, 
 great was the commotion in Woolwich at such luiusual promo- 
 tions. Latterly, indeed, they are better off, so far as their 
 prospects of rising in the service are concerned, for many 
 sergeants of the artillery have received commissions in the Land 
 Transport Corps, and are found most valuable and efficient 
 officers, as quartermasters of brigade. The day before the 
 explosion an accident took place in the Eedan, which was also 
 attended with melancholy results. The following are the par- 
 ticulars : — On the 14th, Samuel Goodram, No. 6 Company, Cold- 
 streams, another old soldier of the same regiment, named Betts, 
 and a sergeant, were on duty in the Eedan, and the two men 
 went into one of the casemates to remove some powder and 
 rubbish, while the sergeant remained outside. Scarcely had the 
 men entered before an explosion took place, which blew" up the 
 magazine, and covered the men and the sergeant with earth and 
 sand. Goodram was blown into the air, and was then thrown 
 down amid fi-agments of gabions and falling earth, which bmied 
 him to the depth of five or six feet, and lietts was so terribly 
 burnt that he died within an hour after the explosion. Goodram 
 was dug out quite dead, and both men were buried in the 
 Guards' cemetery next day. Thus were two excellent soldiers 
 lost to the country, and I am the more particular in giving the 
 names, in order that I may relate an anecdote of poor Goodram at 
 the attack on the Redan, which I heard at the time, but forgot 
 to mention till this moment. The night before the attack, the 
 Coldstreams were on duty in the trenches, and were relieved 
 some hours before the assault took place. On arriving at camp 
 it was found that a private named Samuel Goodram, a butcher 
 by trade, was missing ; and it was feared that he had gone away 
 to some canteen to indulge in unfiithomable potations, or had 
 been hit in some mysterious way as he came from the trenches. 
 But great wrong had been done to this gallant soldier, who had 
 remained behind from a pure love of fighting, and from a desire 
 "to have a go in at the Boosians." Knowing that the assault 
 would take place in a few hours, Goodram, as the regiment 
 mustered and marched ott", had secreted himself in the trenches, 
 and employed his leisure time before his comrades left in filling 
 the breast of his coat and every available place about his person 
 with cartridges from their boxes, fearing that his private supply
 
 ANECDOTE OF GOODRAM. 3o3 
 
 of fifty rounds would fail him before he had got his rill of 
 lighting. When the storming party was advancing fi'oni the 
 fifth parallel, Goodram appeared, riile in hand, and joined it as 
 a volunteer, and his regiment claim him as being the first private 
 soldier in the lledan on that memorable day. He was twice 
 driven out of the Redan, and was over and over again engaged 
 individually with the Eussians, and in these encounters he re- 
 ceived two wounds — one in the side and one in the arm — but still 
 kept up a fire when driveii back by the last rush of the enemy's 
 infantry, and forced over the parapet with the rest of our men 
 into the ditch. Instead, however, of retiring with the others, 
 as opportunity olfcred, and keeping in the ditch or getting under 
 cover in the parallels, Goodram made an impromptu rifie pit on 
 the broken glacis outside the ditch, and there he maintained his 
 fii'e on the enemy till his ammunition became exhausted, and his 
 wounds so painful, that he could no longer use his rifle. Then 
 he shouldered his arms and marched stiflly up through the 
 trenches and across the open space till he reported himself to his 
 regiment. lie was, I believe, tried for being absent without 
 leave, and for stealing his comrades' cartridges, but Minos 
 himself could not have condemned a soldier like this to any 
 severe punishment fur a crime which Minos's jurymen would 
 have called heroic. 
 
 We have heard of Captain Osborne's renewed successes in the 
 Sea of Azofi' with the greatest satisfaction. The news arrived 
 last Satm'day that he had succeeded in destroying, at Gheisk, 
 fodder and grain of various kinds, piled up in sacks for the 
 distance of no less than two miles, and that the efforts of the 
 30(X) Hussians stationed on the spot for the protection of these 
 prodigious stores were unavailing. The fiii'e of the " Vesuvius" 
 and of the gun-boats, and the precision of their shell and shot 
 practice, drove those grej'-coated gentry away in confusion and 
 dismay, and they were unable to fire a shot in defence of their 
 magazines, which our men burnt before their eyes. Olficers and 
 sailors are said to have displayed great coolness and zeal in the 
 aflfair, which has more importance, perhaps, in Russian eyes than 
 it will have in our own, bearing as it does so materially on the 
 position of the enemy in the Crimea and their supplies during 
 the winter. The exploit is all the more welcome that it was 
 quite unexpected, as no one imagined our gun-boats would be 
 able to remain in the Sea of Azofi" after the first week in 
 November. Indeed, the weather has been very severe there ; 
 
 VOL. II. A A
 
 354 RELAXATION. 
 
 violent gales, producing tlie short hacking waves which distress 
 small vessels so much, have prevailed constantly, and although 
 the flotilla under Captain Osborne appeared off Gheisk on the 8th 
 inst., with the view of destroying the stores, the Avind and surf 
 were so high that they could not execute their intentions till 
 the 13th. It is in such circumstances, it is said, that a gun- 
 boat, by its general qualities as a sea-boat, ought to be more 
 efficient than rafts or floating batteries, but our despatch gun- 
 boJlts are fearful " rollers," and in the least seaway tlie guns 
 cannot be cast loose. The " Fancy" is so unsafe that she must 
 go home, attended by another vessel for fear of accidents. She 
 strains in the smallest pressure of sea, and lets in water to such 
 an extent in a breeze of wind that it is difficult to keep in the 
 fires. A Board has sat on the rafts invented by Captain Coles, 
 of the "Stromboli;" and has, it is understood, forwarded a 
 favourable report to the Admiralty on the principle. Among 
 the members of the Board were Sir Houston Stewart, Captam 
 Ingiefield, and Captain Cumming, and the experience and 
 scientific knowledge of these officers are guarantees that an 
 attentive consideration has been given to their report. The 
 squadron, under the command of Admiral Stewart, is on its way 
 to Malta, where most of the fleet will Avinter ; but before it sails 
 for its final destination it will take a careful cruise among the 
 Greek Isles, and call at Smyi-na and various isles in the ^Egean. 
 Sir Edmund Lyons will remain with the " Royal Albert" in 
 Kasatch or Kamiesch for the winter. The " Cyclops" is in 
 Ivasatch, dismantled ; and if matters can be arranged Avith the 
 French, the post establishment will be removed to Kamiesch, 
 in which case the " Firebrand" AviU be stationed there till the 
 spring opens. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, JVovember 24. 
 
 The statements Avhich you copied fi"om an evening paper 
 respecting the strength of the British army next year were 
 received here with satisfaction, not altogether free from appre- 
 hension that the writer may be mistaken. On one point he 
 certainly has miscalculated, and that is the strength of the regi- 
 ments oiit hero. He has assumed an average Avhich is con- 
 siderably too high. For example, the 30th has received very 
 few drafts, and we all know how it sv\ffered at the Alma, at 
 Tnkermann, in the trenches, and at the tAVO assaults on the 
 Kedan. Its present effective strength Avould tell on an average 
 very materially. There are several regiments in the same
 
 CAXDLE-RATIOXS, 355 
 
 category, while others are very stront^ in men, though not 
 perhaps containing so many old soldiers as covdd be desired. 
 There ai'e four months, however, before us, and the drill-sergeant 
 is busy all day. Every camp resounds to his voice and to the 
 tramp of the awkward squad. Recruits have little time to 
 spend in idleness and drinking, and steps are being taken to 
 provide soldiers with the means of reading, which they will 
 so much need and enjoy in the long winter nights before us. 
 But cannot Government be a little more liberal in the matter of 
 candles .'' The issue of light is one ration to every twelve men — 
 that is, one ration for each tent or sergeant's guard. Now, 
 good public, do you know what one ration consists of? It is 
 just two-thirds of an ounce of sperm candle or two ounces of 
 tallow candle — that is, of a bit very like what economic house- 
 wives are ^miliar with under the name of " save-alls." No 
 one need ever say, " Put out the light" in a British camp, for 
 the candle is not lit very long before it dies of its own accord. 
 An officer receives the same ration as is given to twelve men, 
 but he can afford to buy candles, and if he is a field-officer his 
 rations are increased, on the principle, I suppose, that there is 
 more necessity for his keeping wide awake than exists in the 
 case of a subaltern. The libraries are well filled with books, 
 but there is little time to use them by day, and it falls dark 
 before six o'clock ; twelve men are not likely to make much pro- 
 gress in a novel, a tract, or an entertaining miscellany by the 
 aid of two-thirds of an ounce of candle. They club their little 
 pieces of candle together, and resort to many ingenious devices 
 for keeping the lights in. Some of them, like the Russian or 
 Dutch sailors at Spitzbergen, of whose very uncomfortable resi- 
 dence we all have read, use the extra fat of mutton in lamps, 
 but in general they are obliged to purchase what extra candles 
 they require. And all this time there are the canteens alight 
 till an hour or more after " retreat." We have had " balls" at 
 Kamiesch lately, which were, I hear, distinguished by remark- 
 ably good conduct on the part of all present. Of the pro- 
 gress of the libraries and of the lectures you will hear from 
 other persons. There are hotels established at Kamiesch, and 
 restaurants, at which excellent fare is to be had at high but not 
 extravagant prices. 
 
 The lines at Kamiesch are nearly completed. Eight heavy 
 redoubts and a splendid profile of parapet and trench enclosing 
 the place will remain as lasting monuments of French military 
 
 A A 2
 
 3o6 RELAXATION, 
 
 skill, and will enable tlicm to retain the ports of Kaniiesch and 
 Kasatch when the bulk of the army has retired. 
 
 Colonel Wetherall will, it is understood, succeed Colonel 
 ]\I'I\Iurdo, till the latter can return to his command. 
 
 The Head-quarters' Staff is now as follows : — 
 
 Commander-in-Chief —Fir W. J. Cotlrington, K.C.B. 
 
 Aides-de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief — Captain the 
 Hon. H. W. Campbell, Eifle Brigade ; and Captain Ponsonby, 
 Grenadier Guards. 
 
 Chief of the Staff— Major-General C. A. AVindham, C.B. 
 
 Aides-de-Camp to the Chief of the Staff. — Major Lewis and 
 Captain Erie. 
 
 t^>uartermaster-General. — Colonel the Hon. Percy Herbert. 
 
 Assistant Quartermaster-(.Teneral. — Colonel the Hon. A. 
 Hardinge. 
 
 Deputy-Assistant Quartermasters-General. — Captain Willes, 
 77th ; Captain Torrens, 23rd; Captain Yacher, 33rd ; and Cap- 
 tain Hammersley, 14th. 
 
 Military Secretary. — Lieutenant-Colonel Blane. 
 
 Assistant Military Secretary. — Major Boyle, 89th. 
 
 Surgeon to Commander-in-Chief. — Dr. Fowler Smith. 
 
 Adjutant-General. — Colonel Pakenham, C.B. 
 
 Deputy Adjutant-General, and Deputy-Assistant Adjutants- 
 General. — Lieutenant-Colonel Kennedy, 18th ; Captain Thomp- 
 son, 4th; Captain Luard, 77th; Major Dowbiggin. 
 
 Principal IMedical Officer.— Dr. Hall. 
 
 The escort consists of a troop of the 11th Hussars, under 
 Captain Yansittart, and of two companies of the Rihe Brigade, 
 under Major Fyers. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXTX. 
 
 Movements in the Tlussian camp — The telcgr.nphs — Strangers and camp 
 followers — Tlie gallant 23rd Fusiliers — Kain a welcome visitor — Ex- 
 cellent warm clotliing — Huts and double tents — Activity of the llus- 
 sians — Tlirec expeditions prevented by messages received from London 
 and Paris — The Kussiau lire — Stagnation — Accidents — Festivities. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, Kovemhcr 24. 
 My hut commands a view of a considerable portion of the plateau 
 at the other side of the Tchernaya, and overlooks the spurs at Mac-
 
 LOSS OF THE RAFTS. 357 
 
 kenzic's Farm, and the IJussian encampments at Inkermann, and 
 between it and theLower Belbek, and I'rowi the windows the move- 
 ments of the enemy are plainly visible in moderately clear weather. 
 Yesterday we observed the whole of the enemy were in motion 
 along the plateau, and from an early hour in the morning till 
 two o'clock in the afternoon their battalions were marching to 
 and fro, but it was evident they were only changing their troops, 
 and that the regiments which left Mackenzie were replaced by 
 regiments from the camp in the rear. The new comers at the 
 spur huts seemed to be dressed better, to be taller men, and to 
 wear darker coats than those wdio were relieved by them, and 
 that appearance, which after all ma}^ Jpc ideal and deceptive, has 
 given rise to the notion that the troops so close to us belong to 
 the Imperial Guard. Their various camps are rapidly losing the 
 look of snowy neatness of canvas, and are being converted into 
 dingy rows of huts. We can see their telegraphs at work with 
 the greatest facility, and to-day I can make out the flags witli 
 my glass. It is a pity one cannot get the Imperial Code Book 
 of Signals and a dictionarj'. They have a considerable quantity 
 of cattle feeding among the brushwood at Inkermann, and theii' 
 works on the north side are rapidly attaining prodigious and 
 gigantic dimensions, which indicate an intention of holding their 
 present position. Ever since the French have ceased to reply 
 to theii" cannonade upon the town, they fire but seldom, but 
 they do not hesitate to waste a shot or shell on a horseman 
 riding near Fort Nicholas by the water's edge, or coming down 
 the streets enfiladed by their fire ; and at night they open upon 
 any light seen in the ruins of the city. The French batteries 
 have been shut up by orders for the last fortnight or more. Our 
 allies share with us the labours of destroying the docks, which 
 will be ready to go at any moment we choose. The Sappers 
 experienced great difficultj' in forming the mines, in consequence 
 of the water running in on them from the clay, but with their 
 usual energy they have worked away and formed the mines, 
 which will contain eight small and two large magazines. It is 
 expected that the explosion will just disintegrate the masoniy 
 and tumble the stonework into the basins. The English works 
 are under the charge of Captain Nicholson, E.E., and Mr. Deane 
 bas lent the use of his batteries for the purpose of filing the 
 mines, and will undertake that part of the operation. 
 
 The loss of the rafts is confirmed. In a strong breeze, with 
 ^ fresh running down the Bay of Cherson (which some people
 
 358 EELAXATIOX. 
 
 call the Liman of tlie Dnieper, although it is formed by the 
 confincnce of that river and the Bng), the rafts parted from theii' 
 moorings and got a■v^•ay towards Odessa. They will no doubt 
 break up, and the floating timbers may work some mischief at 
 sea during the stormy Avinter which we may expect. May we 
 not anticipate talcs of sunken rocks, of sea serpents, and floating 
 islands encountered between this and Varna ? 
 
 As regiments are naturally very jealous of any injvistice 
 being done to them in the eyes of the country by withhold- 
 ing praise that is due to them, or misrepresenting that which 
 they have done, it is not even now too late to do justice 
 to the gallant 23rd Fusiliers, to the losses of which distin- 
 guished regiment I perceive one of your coiTCspondents has 
 already drawn attention. On the 8th of September, the 23rd 
 Regiment was placed in the demi-parallel in rear of Egerton's 
 rifle-pit, and was in reserve in that position. After the 
 attacking parties went out, the advanced trenches not being 
 filled up as quickly as they ought to have been, the 23rd Regi- 
 ment went to the front, passing several regiments belonging to 
 the attacking brigades, and on arriving at the 5th parallel. 
 General Codrington ordered Colonel Lysons to take out a wing 
 of his regiment, and to attack the proper right flank of the 
 Eedan. Colonel Lysons formed five companies in line, and gave 
 the word, " The line will advance — quick march !" The men at 
 once rushed over the parapet, the young officers of the regiment 
 being in front and waving their swords in the air. Every man 
 followed with the utmost enthusiasm. The instant they ap- 
 peared on the open space, round shot, grape, canister, and 
 rifle bullets and musket balls came through their ranks in a 
 perfect storm from the Spur Battery on the left, the Barrack 
 Battery, and the flank of the Eedan in front. The regiment 
 rushed on and pressed up to the parapet of the salient, leaving 
 many a brave fellow on the ground, and there amid that swarm- 
 ing hive they were exposed to a heavy fire from the face of the 
 Eedan close over their right shoulders. Colonel Lj^sons got 
 close to the ditch at the re-entering angle, and Avas shot by a 
 Eussian from the parapet above so that the ball passed down 
 into the thigh, where it still remains. There were then close 
 to the Colonel only Captain Dunne, Lieutenant DjTieley, Cor- 
 poral Shields, and about twenty-five men, the ground in the rear 
 being covered with the killed and wounded. Captain Dunne 
 w^as ordered by the Colonel to collect the stragglers who were
 
 THE TWENTY-THIRD FUSILIERS. 359 
 
 coming- up, to form them together, and charge across the ditch 
 and up the parapet, and some of them got on the top of the 
 parapet in this pUice, and were found dead there in the morning, 
 and 200 out of 282 men were wounded. As Colonel Lysons crawled 
 back to the salient he was shot through the skii'ts of the coat. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, November 20. 
 
 The army is getting into better shape and form every day. 
 Excellent warm clothing has been issued to the men, and so 
 uniform is it in style that no one can distinguish officers from men, 
 unless by the difi'erence of style and bearing. Our allies are asto- 
 nished at the profuseness of our military wardrobe, which not only 
 contains a waterproof suit, helmet and all, but fm* coats and caps, 
 cowhide boots, tweed coats lined with cat or rabbit skin, &c., 
 and for the officers, suits of sealskin, sold at moderate prices. 
 The French only receive from theii- Government an ordinai-y 
 cloth capote, and must buy any waterproofs or furs which they 
 may find necessary. The sheepskin coats of last year are not in 
 Bauch favoiu' ; they have a very high odour, and are found to be 
 extremely sought after as residences by objectionable insects of 
 predatory habits. The huts blown down by the explosion are 
 nearly rebuilt, but the extent of canvas-covering which is still 
 visible over the camp would astonish those who imagine all the 
 :roops to be within wooden walls. However, a good double 
 :ent well pitched and dug out is more comfortable for one man 
 :han most huts wo aid be, as it is extremely difficult to stanch 
 ;he latter, and the former is always sure to be air and water- 
 tight. For a sergeant's guard, however, a tent is very uncom- 
 fortable, because there can be no fii-eplace in it which would not 
 expose some of the inmates to be roasted, and stoves are found 
 to smoke with wood and coal, and to be dangerous with charcoal. 
 The cookhouses offer guarantees for the liealth of the men, and 
 with the blessing of Heaven the army will not suffer any serious 
 detriment from the severities of this climate, although it would 
 be too much to expect entire freedom from some kind of priva- 
 tions on the part of an army cantoned on the open ground 
 during a Crimean winter. 
 
 The roads, indeed, even now, when we have no trenches, 
 no prospects of an attack, no want of labour — the roads 
 are even now objects of much interest to us all. The 
 whistling locomotives on the railway — the " Alliance," the 
 " Victory" — which recal to us the familiar sounds of Wolver-
 
 360 RELAXATION. 
 
 hampton or of Didcot, and make iis believe for the moment 
 that we are in a civilized countrj', are not to be taken as 
 material guarantees for the possession of material comforts in 
 the coming winter. Trains may be snowed up in the Crimea 
 as in England, and, despite the efforts of Land Transport and 
 Commissariat, supplies of certain articles cannot be accumulated 
 at the divisional dejjofs in any large proportion to tlie wants of 
 the army. What do you think of 319 sheep being killed in one 
 day for a single division of the army, and of that division re- 
 quiring 100 more sheep to be sacrificed before they had " their 
 pound of flesh" and their full allowance of meat rations ? But 
 these roads are very good, and give no just ground for appre- 
 hension of failure, although it is the habit of some persons 
 either to sneer at them as being too Eomanesque in grandeur and 
 solidity, or to prophes}'^ their dissolution in the winter. Mr. 
 Beatty, with small means at his command, has placed the raih 
 way on an excellent basis, as far as wood, iron, and stone can 
 secure it. The soundness of his judgment in lajdngout the line is 
 confirmed by Mr. Doyne's adoption of a course very nearly parallel 
 to it throughout for the grand main road between Balaklava 
 and the camp — a tribute which has not been, however, unattended 
 by evils, inasmuch as the parallelism has given rise to fears that 
 the proximity of the one may interfere with the safe working of 
 the other. Mr. Beatty goes home immediately, if, indeed, he 
 has not already gone, and I much regret that he has been obliged 
 to retire from a post in which he rendered services not only to 
 the army collectively, but to many individuals in it, who will 
 always retain a deep sense of his kindness and friendly assistance 
 in times of domestic difiiculty about huts and transports. 
 Ah'eady the mud is beginning to tell upon our animals. I saw 
 no less than seven dead mules and horses in one little gully 
 crossing the line of transport, yesterday. Melancholy quadrupeds, 
 with sore backs and rib-developed flanks, whom nobody cares to 
 own, begin even thus early to wander disconsolately about the 
 camp, and to crawl to the lee of sheltering walls. The Eussians, 
 having made good roads between their camps, and having esta- 
 blished themselves comfortably on the other side of the Tchernaya, 
 seem resolved to give us an uneasy time of it in Sebastopol, and 
 never ceased firing to-day from one end of the Bay to the other. 
 I ventured to express an opinion almost immediately after the 
 capture of the south side, that the enemy's preparations indicated 
 the intention of wintering where they lay. We have been aU
 
 THE RUSSIAN POSITION. 361 
 
 too prone, not only in England, but out here, to calculate on 
 advantages to be gained by the privations to which the enemy 
 would be exposed, or by imaginary wants to which they were 
 likely in our, opinion to be subjected. But the Russian is well 
 supplied with all munitions of war, and with the means of sub- 
 sistence. The entire strength of the empire has been devoted 
 to the supplies of the Crimean army, and the Eussian General 
 no doubt calculates on the concentration of such a force in the 
 Crimea next spring as will enable him to meet the allies in every 
 point which they may assail. He knows that Perekop is not to 
 be reached by a large force, owing to the want of water, and to 
 its geographical position, and that no army can operate in the 
 rear of his position in consequence of the nature of the 
 country. 
 
 It is not because St. Vladimir was converted in the Crimea 
 that Prince Gortschak off holds Mackenzie's Farm and the plateau 
 of the Pelbek and Tchernaya. But he knows that until he is 
 dislodged, the allies are paralysed, and that they can establish 
 no safe basis of operations against Nicholaieff or Cherson while 
 he is at Simpheropol, for it would be contrary to common sense 
 to leave such an army in their rear and flank. He hopes, there- 
 fore, either to be able to hold the Crimea next campaign, or to 
 be able to make such dispositions in the event of a great defeat 
 as wall insure the safe retreat of his army by Perekop and 
 Tchongar, and perhaps by a third road, of the existence of which 
 across the Sivash there are very strong indications. The electric 
 telegraph has kindly aided him in establishing himself all the 
 more securely, for the rumour of a Eussian attack, to which it 
 gave official weight, prevented the occupation of Kaffa and the 
 destruction of Arabat this autumn ; and who can saj^ how the 
 country behind Theodosia (Kalia) will be seamed with batteries 
 should we try a descent next spring ? Talk of the harm done 
 by newspaper correspondents compared with that which has been 
 done by the electric telegraph ! The iii-st expedition to Kertch, 
 the despatch of the* Highlanders to Eupatoria, and the expedi- 
 tion to Kaffa were all prevented by our electric batteries at 
 London and Paris, and it is very questionable if they did not 
 do the allies more harm than the Eussian guns. The French 
 were, indeed, adverse to the Kafia movement, and Admiral Bruat 
 was, it appears, more especially opposed to it ; but there is no 
 reason to doubt that it would have been successful, and the 
 occupation of that place and the destruction of Arabat, would
 
 362 KELAXATION. 
 
 have most materially complicated the difficulty of the Russian 
 position, and contributed to the strength of the allies. 
 
 Before SEBASxcpOii, Kovemher 30. 
 The needy knife-grinder would not be in possession of more 
 abmidant materials for anecdote had he lived out here for the 
 last week than he was when he met Mr. Canning, several years 
 ago, in the neighbourhood of Eton. We are all ankle-deep in 
 mud. No, that would be nothing. It would be no great matter 
 of complaint or gi'ievance if we had to deal with the ordinaay 
 material, so familiar to all Londoners after a few wet days, before 
 the scavengers remove the formidable soft parapets which line 
 the kerbstones. That can be scraped off, cleaned, rubbed away, 
 or w^ashed out. This, nothing but long and persevering eSbrts, 
 continually renewed, and combining all the former operations, can 
 remove. It sticks in pasty clods to the shoes, and will insist on 
 being brought into clean huts and tents to visit your friends. 
 It has a great affection for straws, with which it succeeds in 
 working itself up into a kind of gigantic brick, somewhat 
 underdone, in which condition it threatens to build your legs 
 into the ground if you stand long enough in one place to give 
 it a chance ; and it mightily affects horseshoes also, and sucks 
 them off, with a loud smack of relish, in those little ravines 
 between rocky hill-sides in which it exercises the greatest in- 
 fluence. Literally and truly, it is like glue half boiled and 
 spread over the face of the earth for the depth of several feet. 
 It is no joke for a soldier to see his sleeping-place, in hut or 
 tent, covered with this nasty slime ; yet they cannot be kept 
 clean. Take but one step outside, and j^ou are done for. The 
 mud is lying in wait for you, and you just cai-ry back as 
 much on your feet as if you had walked a mile. Carts stick 
 immovably in the ground, or the wheels and axles fly into- 
 pieces from the strain of the horses and mules. These have, 
 indeed, led a -vvT'etched existence ever since this weather began. 
 As I write, the air resounds with the noise of the blows inflicted 
 on the heads, sides, and legs of the miserable quadrupeds draw- 
 ing fuel and stores from the Commissariat depot of the division. 
 But then, it wUl be said that huts can be swept out and cleaned. 
 Doubting the fact considerably from my personal experience, I 
 must be pennitted to tell our good friends the pubUc that they 
 are labouring under great delusions respecting these same huts. 
 Now what, for example, do tbey think of the Guards being at
 
 THE NEW HUTS. 363 
 
 this present moment under canvas, and likely to be so till the 
 middle of January or thereabouts ? It is, of course, no <i:reat 
 privation in ordinary weather to have to live in a sound, well- 
 pitched tent, but it is as Avell to let the truth be known. The 
 new huts are much complained of, and it is said they are frail, 
 ill-made, full of chinks, and knots which drop out, and leave ini- 
 mical little embrasures for the'wind to shoot through. During a 
 moderately strong breeze of wind, a short time ago, the roof of 
 one of the hospital huts at the Monastery went off on a mission 
 of its own, and left the poor inmates shivering in the cold till 
 they were removed to another building. The hut in question, 
 however, was built before the new huts arrived. The tents now 
 issued to the army are new and good, and most of thewar and time- 
 worn fabrics inside which our gallant ancestors reposed in Egypt 
 or Spain have been condemned, and are used as outsides for the 
 new tents, or as covers for huts, officers' quarters, stables, and 
 fabrics of that kind. The authorities at home, you already 
 know, refused the application of the Commissariat for more tar- 
 paulins to cover the stores, " because they were very expensive." 
 Well, the wet weather came on — hay began to smoke, corn and 
 barley to heat ; and the Commissariat officers were obliged to 
 purchase canvas wherever they could to prevent the loss of 
 thousands of pounds' worth of property, not to speak of the 
 mischief to the army. But the " holders of canvas stood 
 firm ;" they saw their opportunity, and they refused to sell it for 
 less than two shillings a yard, at which sum many hundred 
 yards were purchased for the Commissariat store of this division. 
 But even now the stores are badly protected, for there is no 
 pitch or tar to cover the canvas, although there is a vessel 
 reported to be in Balaklava with 300 tons of these useful articles 
 on board for the express use of the army. 
 
 December i. 
 
 Some accidents occurred during the races. General Lawrenson, 
 when riding in admirable style, a good second, got " a purl," 
 owing to the swerving of his horse, but he received no greater 
 injury than a slight shaking and a scratch on the nose ; and 
 there was the usual number of spills on the course. One officer 
 was ridden down in the rush from one point of the course to the 
 other, and was taken away in a state of insensibility. These 
 rushes were tremendous, not less than 4000 horses at it together- 
 and no small amount of kicking, biting, and tumbling going on 
 at the same time. In the evening, 110 of the officers interested
 
 364 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 in the sports of the day, and their friends, dined at the restaurant 
 of the Third Division, Colonel Daubeny in the chair, and the 
 foundation was laid for an army jockey club, with a permanent 
 fund for races wherever the troops may be encamped. The 
 dinner would have astonished those who knew the camp this 
 time twelvemonth. The tables, the room itself, the lights, the 
 songs, would seem to him the efi'ect of enchantment, and more 
 than once one shut one's eyes as one thought of last year, and 
 asked, could it all be a dream ? The night was pitch dark, and the 
 rain fell in torrents ; as the camp is intersected by deep drains, 
 and full of all kinds of unpleasant irons de loup, many of the 
 company bivouacked on the floor of the shed, and only left at 
 dawn. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 CAJIP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 Waste of property — Improvement in the state of the army — Kakee, a 
 villanous spirit — Its terrible eflects — A rare source of revenue — Social 
 vultures — Corporation of Kadikoi — Mile-posts and lanterns — Doctor 
 Davega's opinions on the war — Inferior character of the arms, clothing, 
 and discipline of the Kussians — French failures — Severe test for the 
 new roads — Health of tlie men — Labour essential for the preservation 
 of health — Value of the letters O.L.B. — Libraries — Zeal of the Miuister- 
 at-War — The new rifle. 
 
 The waste of property as of life in war is prodigious and 
 unavoidable. I firmlj^ believe that for three feet deep the whole 
 of the quay at Balaklava, near the Commissariat landing-place, 
 is a concrete of corn. The sacks are often badly tied, or rotten 
 and full of holes. It is no imcommon thing to see a Croat or 
 Turkish labourer waddling slowly along with a sack on his back, 
 from which the corn is descending in streams against his heels, 
 till he arrives from the ship at the store, and then to behold him 
 depositing the collapsed and flaccid bag on the heap Avitli the 
 greatest gravity and satisfaction at his success in diminishing 
 his load at every step. In the various Divisional Commissariat 
 depots an enormous loss of grain also occurs from similar 
 causes, and from shifting the sacks and the distribution of the 
 rations. But it seems to be impossible to prevent these losses, 
 which are regarded as incidental to a state of war. The other 
 day, a man came to me and begged of me to take care of thirty 
 sovereigns for him, as " he did not know what to do with it till
 
 UAKEE-VENDORS. 365 
 
 he could get leave to purchase his discharge, and it was not sale 
 to carry it about with him." Would it not be practicable to 
 establish ambulatory regimental savings-banks in the field at 
 trifling trouble and small expense ? As to our own authorities, 
 they are waging a war ol' extermination against spirit vendors, and, 
 above all, against rakce importers. This villanous spirit inflames 
 men's brains and sets them mad ; it has all the abominable pro- 
 perties of Ircsh-run rum or new whisky, but it afl'ects the nervous 
 system more mischievously, and produces prostration, wdiich fre- 
 quently ends in death. It is dreadfully cheap, colom-less, like gin, 
 with a taste of bad anisette and a fiery burning smack on the 
 tongue, and is alcohol all but pure, with the exception of the adul- 
 teration, which contributes the flavour. Captain Shervmton, the 
 Provost- IMarshal at Balaklava, has a wonderful knack of follow- 
 ing out the concealed depots of this by the smell, and the pro- 
 cess of punishment is simple. The o^vners are compelled to 
 start the poison into the sea, and they are then ordered to leave 
 the Crimea instanter. Canteen-keepers who keep it are fined 
 heavily, their canteens are shut up, and themselves deported, at 
 their own expense, to Constantinople. Xo less than three native 
 vessels were seized the other day by Captain Shervinton fidl of 
 rakee ; the cargoes were confiscated, and the ships sent awaj-, 
 never to be let into Balaklava again. Every canteen-keeper or 
 storekeeper on whose premises a drunken soldier is seen, no 
 matter what the excuse may be, is fined 5^. for each, and the 
 Provost-Marshal has more money than he knows what to do 
 with from this som'ce alone. But they are a wealthy race, 
 these social vultures — many of them king vultures — respectable 
 birds of prey, with kempt plumage and decent demeanour — 
 others mere " adjutants," dirty and predacious. The sutlers of 
 Kadikoi care little for 51. fines while they can get Gd. a-dozen 
 for tacks, and 2*. a-pound for lard sub nomine butter, and they 
 pay their taxes like lords, or rather much more willingly, now 
 that the income-tax is pressing on people at home. Taxes ! — 
 what is the man talking about ? It is quite true, nevertheless. 
 There is an unchartered corporation in the town of Kadikoi, with 
 a Mayor and Aldermen, or Town Councillors, and a vigorous 
 administrative staif that would astonish the elder brethren about 
 Guildhall. They have a machinery of scavengers and sewer- 
 men, and they pay about 120/. a-raonth for keeping their city 
 in order. This weather, however, does not contribute to their 
 comfort, whilst it diminishes their profits, and the condition of
 
 366 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 the roads makes their chariot wheels drive heavily. As to tliese 
 roads, on which so much depends, it is not possible to express 
 an opinion yet ; but a portion of the section below the Col is in 
 a very bad state, as I can attest ; and I am told that the portion 
 in question is just the very part where the military engineers 
 interfered with the civil engineer. 
 
 At first it was proposed to repair the old road between 
 Balaklava and Kadikoi, to carry the whole traffic between 
 those points, and also to repair the old French road between 
 Ivadikoi and the stationary engine, passing up the Vinoy ravine 
 for an up road, while the car-track round the east side of 
 rrenchman's-hill was to be improved and used as a down road 
 between those two latter points. Mr. Doyne reported on the 
 whole line, and, after careful examination, found that it would 
 require much less labour to make a new and good road between 
 Balaklava and Kadikoi by a different route, than to attempt to 
 repair the old one while the traffic was passing over it. Ac- 
 cordingly, a main drain was cut down the centre of the valley, 
 running into the head of Balaklava harbour, to intercept all 
 water flowing from the east of it, and free the road and railway 
 drains rapidly from the rain-water. The road was made parallel 
 to the railway, the material over which it passes being deep, 
 spongy, vegetable soil, easily drained in its natural state, but 
 very retentive if worked up under wet ; drains four feet deep 
 were cut at forty feet apai't, and the surface between rounded to 
 a foot higher at the centre. Cross-drains were cut at every 
 forty-four yards, connecting-main drains, and the large stone 
 pitching, t^penty-eight feet wide, was filled in with smaller stones, 
 a:id afterwards macadamized. Before laying on the pitching, 
 the whole traffic of the camp was turned over the formed surface 
 for five days to beat it down, and to consolidate it, a strong force 
 of navvies being employed in the morning and evening to keep 
 up the proper form. This course proved perfectly successful — 
 the surface was quite smooth when the metalling was laid on, 
 and consequently the rain now runs freely off without penetrating 
 the soil. On this section there has been laid down about 13,000 
 tons of hard limestone pitching and metalling on a length of 
 one mile. 
 
 From Kadikoi to the stationary engine the old road up the 
 Vinoy ravine was so steep (1 in 12), and thus liable to be washed 
 away, and the ground over which the down line was prepared 
 to pass was so bad (in some places 1 in 7), that Mr. Doyne
 
 NEAV ROADS. 367 
 
 determined to abandon both, and to make a new road round 
 tbe eastern base of Frenchman's-hill, nearly parallel with the 
 railway, and Sir Richard Airey gave his assent to the change. 
 Here for a considerable distance the road is terraced out in the 
 hill-side, formed of hard carboniferous limestone rock, and a 
 clear metalled roadway is obtained from twenty to twenty-five 
 feet wide throughout. 
 
 In the next section, to Mrs. Seacole's hut, the old French road 
 is widened, deep drains have been cut, the centre raised, and a 
 deep coat of limestone metalling laid on. 
 
 In the next section, up to the Col, the ground again slopes 
 very rapidly, and the road is terraced out for a mile, partly in 
 rock, sandstone, and clay, and is then formed and metalled as 
 before. From Balaklava to the Col the chief difficulty to be 
 contended with in maintaining a road is the numerous bodies of 
 water which come down the hill-sides. To protect the road 
 against this, ti-enches have been cut on the upper side, zigzagging 
 according to the line of the ground, so as to intercept the water 
 and convey it into large culverts constructed mider the road at 
 every dip in the undulation of the hill. Thus no water can get 
 upon the road except that which actually falls upon its surface, 
 and that small quantity, from the rounded form, is rapidly 
 carried away into the side di-ains. To relieve a road in every 
 way fi-om the destructive action of water, both by sub and 
 sm-face drainage, is the first principle of road-making ; without 
 attention to this, any amount of laboiu- will prove fruitless. 
 
 From Balaldava to the Col, about three miles and a half, the 
 works throughout are of a very heavy character, and the pro- 
 visions for drainage are upon an extensive scale ; besides about 
 ten miles of open ditching, there are between 150 and 200 
 culverts constructed ; from the great want of materials these are 
 formed in every variety of way — many with Arraj^ Works Corps' 
 water barrels, some with Commissariat pork casks, others with 
 Eoyal Engineers' fascines and gi-een platfonn timber. 
 
 But the work which required the greatest amount of labour 
 was the metalling, there having been over this thi'ee and a half 
 miles nearly 40,000 tons of hard limestone rock quarried, col- 
 lected, and laid upon the road. 
 
 Above the Col the main trunk proceeds over the plateau of 
 Sebastopol, following nearly the direction of the railway, crossing 
 the Woronzofi' road up to the camp of the Light Division, on 
 the extreme right. Here the difficulties are of a difierent
 
 3GS CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 character, and the surface and geographical formation changes 
 from deep clay vallej's and plains and carboniferous limestone 
 rock hills to a comparatively uniform surface of a very plastic 
 retentive clay ; on examination, Mr. Doyne found this did not 
 exceed an average of eighteen inches deep, and that miderneath 
 there is a light rubbly oolitic limestone rock, similar to that 
 found in the neighbourhood of Stroud, in Gloucestershire. 
 
 The whole of the clay was removed for a width of thu-ty-two 
 feet, and a solid foundation was discovered, upon which the road 
 is securely constructed by paving and metalling it with the 
 parts of the oolite rocks which had become harder by exposure 
 to the weather, and for the worst parts hard metal has been 
 brought from the other district. It Avas opened for traffic in 
 forty-eight days from the time of its commencement. There is 
 no gradient upon it worse than 1 in 17, and it is intended 
 to erect mile-posts, and, if possible, to affix lanterns to them, 
 which will be found very usefid in the dark wintry nights 
 which are approaching. 
 
 We have been all much amused this mail by the perusal of 
 an article extracted from the Neto Yorlc Herald of the 25th 
 of October, which appeared in The Times of the l7th November, 
 and containing the opinions of General (I beg his pardon. 
 Doctor) Davcga on the past and future of the war. The lucu- 
 brations are, however, so far useful, that they contain perhaps 
 some indications of the modes of thought and tendency of calcu- 
 lation in the Russian camp. Ovir own speculations are often absm'd 
 enough, and in most instances prove to be exceedingly fiiUacious ; 
 but one cannot believe that astute strategists like the Russians 
 can ever for one moment believe that the allies will attack them 
 in their present position — that they will attempt to cross the 
 waters of Sebastopol, or storm the heights of Inkermann, 
 Mackenzie, or Aitodor. These defiles would not admit of the 
 carriage or use of artillery, or of the passage of cavalry ; in 
 many places ten men might hold them against a thousand. 
 But, holding the seaboard, as we do, there is no place except 
 the north side of Sebastopol at which we camiot land, and from 
 which we cannot march to take in reverse the whole of those 
 gigantic works of which the Doctor speaks, and to cut off all 
 communications between the enemy in the Crimea and Russia 
 Proper. The Doctor declares that the Russians did not intend 
 to hold the south side, that is, the city of Sebastopol, longer 
 than was necessary for the removal of their hospitals, their
 
 DOCTOR DAVEGa's SOPHISTRIES, 3 GO 
 
 guns, and whatever else they considered indispensable. When 
 did that intention be<^in ? It certainly appears that the enemy 
 did not carry it out, for they left beliind them about 4000 brass 
 and ii-on guns, all their fleet, the most hon-ible spectacle in the 
 shape of a hospital (Doctor, did you belong to that pleasant 
 school of surgery ?) tlie world ever saw, and an immense 
 quantity of clothing, of food, and of stores, which would be 
 considered indispensable to any army in Europe, if they could 
 have been removed. The llussian guns on the north side not only 
 do not render the possession of the city untenable, but are so 
 innocuous, that the allies do not take the trouble of replying to 
 them. We occupy the city and destroy the docks under the 
 eyes of their gunners, and like so many bees, extract from the 
 shot-shattered comb of Sebastopol the honey of utility, — wood, 
 iron, stoves, and many other things to make us comfortable for 
 the winter. I verily believe that the good Doctor thinks the 
 descent of the Russian liners and steamers among the mussels 
 is a plan to recruit their strength — a mere strategical dodge to 
 obtain concentrated power. To us who saw the Alma, Balaklava, 
 and Inkermann, the " singular fact that Russians flock together 
 under a heavy fire, and cling to each other with a tenacity which 
 knows not how to yield, while the French and English scatter 
 under similar cu'cum stances," is a singular absurdity. Never 
 did any infantry scatter and retreat in greater confusion than the 
 Russians at the Alma. The ground was covered for miles with 
 their arms, coats, and knapsacks, and we found traces of their 
 flight at the Katcha and the Belbek. At Inkermann they fled 
 down the steep from our fire like a disorderly mob for twenty 
 minutes, and it was only when they get within the cover of 
 their guns, and found they were not pursued, that they formed 
 and began to march like soldiers. Who that saw Balaklava can 
 forget the miraculous flight of their mounted cavalry after their 
 first two minutes' interview with the scanty squadrons of the 
 EnniskiUens and Scots Greys ? No, no, Doctor ; you may be 
 a Yankee Muscovite of the genuine free despot type, but you really 
 cannot tell these little fibs about yom* dear comrades and expect 
 Europe to believe them. The Russians fight well behind 
 rampart;?, and possess a good deal of stolid braveiy, but they 
 never have stood, and never will stand, against an equal nmnber 
 of French or English troops, and there is no general here who 
 would not wish to get them out, three to two, and try them on 
 the open. At Alma, we attacked them in a formidable in- 
 
 VOL, II. B B
 
 370 CAMP EMPLOYMEKTS. 
 
 trenched position, and carried it. At Inkermann, they attacked 
 us, without a gun, without a ditch to defend our flank, and beat 
 down part of our camp with their guns before our men were 
 well awake. They certainly ascended a very steep ravine side, 
 but we were not there to defend the crest of it ; and then see 
 what account our 7500 men made of assaulting columns which 
 certainly exceeded 20,000 men, without including the reserves ! 
 In the trenches they never stood against our soldiers for an 
 instant ; they never won an inch of ground back from us, and 
 their sorties were uniformly repulsed, although made in force, 
 under the most favourable circumstances, against weak parties in 
 weak trenches. As to their equipments, they may be good 
 enough for a Russian soldier, but our men would be greatly dis- 
 gusted if they had to put on such clothes ; and as to their arms, 
 they are certainly inferior to the arms of the allies. For their 
 discipline, I can only speak from this fact — that they have never 
 yet attempted to attack but in masses of columns, as at Inker- 
 mann, Eupatoria, and Kars ; and have never succeeded in 
 deploying them, nor have they ever ventured on any flank 
 movement in the presence of an enemy ; but I hear from their 
 deserters that it is pretty severe, and that a liberal amount of 
 baton and fustigation is administered to keep the men, especially 
 the militia, in order. Where was Dr. Davega when the battle 
 of the Tchernaya took place, or did he hear of it at all in 
 Sebastopol ? He would have seen some very pretty running in 
 boots, and very ill-disciplined movements from the Fedukhine 
 heights, about nine o'clock, on the 16th of last August, I can 
 assure him. His countrymen who are here, and who receive 
 rations and quarters from the allies, can perhaps enlighten 
 him a little on the subject of desertions, and a look at the 
 Provost's book will enable them to form some idea as to the 
 exact number who have come over to us and the Sardinians, 
 not to speak of the French, since we sat down behind Sebas- 
 topol. It may be quite true that the Russians would show no 
 quarter to the Mahommedan if they could catch any, but as yet 
 they have had little chance of exhibiting either clemency or 
 cruelty towards the infidel since the flight of the poor fellows 
 from the wretched redoubts in Balaklava, which have brought 
 disgrace upon one engineer officer, at all events. The " jnill" 
 has been as yet certainly in favoui- of the Turk on that score. 
 I can scarcely believe that the Russians entertain the feelings 
 towards the English which the Doctor attributes to them, for
 
 OUR VICTORIES. 371 
 
 our officers and men who have been in their hands state that 
 they were treated and spoken of with the greatest respect. 
 They must know that the English army occupied the whole of 
 the phiteau from thf end of the Dockyard Creek, on which 
 the extreme right of the French lay, to Inkermann, from the 
 beginning of the siege till some time after the battle of Inker- 
 mann — that our artillerj% on the 17th of October, 1854, smashed 
 the Malakhoff and swept the whole face of the enemy's batteries, 
 so that scarce a gun was left to reply to us, and we could have 
 stonned the place that night but for the misfortunes of the 
 French, whose magazines were blown up, and whose batteries 
 were silenced by the enemy, so that the City so called, the 
 proper right of Sebastopol, was as strong and unassailable as 
 ever. It is invidious to draw comparisons between allies, but 
 it must be recollected that if we failed twice at the Redan — 
 where the spectator now stands and mutters " madness !" as 
 he looks around him — the French failed in one great attack 
 on the Mamelon, in two assaults on the Bastion-du-Mat, in 
 the attack on the Little Redan, and in the assault on the 
 Bastion-du-Mat and Bastion Centrale on the 8th of September, 
 and that it was the English Quarry Battery which annihilated 
 the Russian reserves as they formed in the Karabelnaia to retake 
 the Malakhotf, and that for one hour and fifty-six minutes the 
 presence of our forlorn hope of English in the Redan distracted 
 the efforts and drew away an immense body of the enemy from 
 the French. With regard to the " success" with Avhich the 
 movements of the Russian Generals have been (according to the 
 Doctor) attended in many instances, it is not easy for us to dis- 
 cover one. Hitherto, they have been only successful in " moving 
 off." However, it is not worth while to bestow further comment 
 on Dr. Davega, whose experiences, most likely, have been for- 
 gotten before this, and I am only led to make these few remarks, 
 lest the readers of the Neio Yorlc Herald should take them all 
 for gospel. When the Russians have left, or have been beaten 
 out of, the Crimea, there will be plenty of people to hail the 
 news as an augury of fresh Russian success, and as a proof of 
 fm'ther energy in concentration, according to the doctrine which 
 seems to be a kind of strategical plagiary of the theological 
 doctrine of developments. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, December 7. 
 
 The effect of the mud and wet on the animals of the Land 
 Transport Corps is distressing, but I am not able to affirm that 
 
 B B 2
 
 372 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 it could be avoidod. Notwithstanding the numerous good roads 
 
 through the camps, tliere are tracts to be traversed by thousands 
 
 of animals under their burdens which are exceedingly deep and 
 
 heavy. Many of the poor creatures are cruelly used by the 
 
 people to whom we are obliged to entrust them. There are two 
 
 men to every three horses or mules, but then these men are 
 
 barely sufficient to perform long marches, from the divisional 
 
 camps to Balaklava and back again, and afterwards to attend to 
 
 the animals and clean them properly. In some muddy pool or 
 
 in some deep scarp on the hill- side the poor animal, which, 
 
 perhaps, has stood in uncovered stables all night, and is badly 
 
 groomed or not rubbed down at all, sinks beneath its load and 
 
 dies there in lingering agony. No one is permitted to shoot 
 
 these wretched creatures — why, one cannot say. People residing 
 
 near the Fourth Division camp will remember the skeleton 
 
 spectre of a wretched grey horse, with a sore back, which 
 
 haunted the camp for weeks before it fell into a ditch and died. 
 
 It had been turned loose to live or perish, and it was a shocking 
 
 sight to behold the dogs leaping up against it to lick its sores ; 
 
 but there it remained for days, with its legs drawn close 
 
 together, and no one ventured to put it out of pain. These 
 
 spectacles, renewed this year, recal the terrors of last winter. 
 
 Every one exclaims, " How fortunate that Sebastopol has fallen. 
 
 What would we have done had we to guard the trenches tliis 
 
 winter?" Not that there could have been an equal amount of 
 
 physical suffering, but that there would have been a great deal 
 
 of unavoidable misery, and disease, and death incident on another 
 
 winter's active operations, despite railroads, depots, roads, Avarm 
 
 clothing, and abundant food. The transport mules and horses 
 
 perish, but French and English suffer alike, though I cannot 
 
 say if they do so proportionately. Many of the divisional 
 
 stables are still uncovered — there is a great want of nails and 
 
 planking, and the result is, that the animals are exposed to the 
 
 inclemency of the weather after hard work. They get knocked 
 
 up with sore backs or greased heels — are lamed, lose shoes, and 
 
 at last succumb on the road. The men have tolerable cover 
 
 and warmth, and are not over-worked — their fatigue duty keeps 
 
 them healthy; and it is observed by the surgeons that those 
 
 }nen who are kept to labour as punishment for offences, and 
 
 enjoy moderate exercise iir stone breaking and road repairing, 
 
 are generally in excellent health. Still, it must not be supposed 
 
 that there are no inconveniences in living in the open dui'ing a
 
 PLANS FOR LIBK ARIES. 373 
 
 Crimean winter. Last night it blew fiercely, the weather was 
 cold, rain and sleet fell in torrents, and man}' tents were blown 
 down in camp. I need not say that those who were suddenly 
 exposed to the violence of the elements were in a very sorry 
 plight indeed. A bed with a lively little sewer intersecting it, 
 is not the most agreeable thing in winter time. The camp view 
 of the catastrophe is that " it serves them right for not pitching 
 their tents better." But, at the same time, there are loud out- 
 cries against the new huts, and the letters " O.L.B.," with 
 which they are marked, are focetiously said to mean " Officers' 
 Leaky Bunks." It is considered that, if the Government had 
 sent out hammers, nails, planks, and felt, the men would have 
 done much better. 
 
 In connexion with the improvement and discipline of the army 
 there are few subjects of more interest than the establishment of 
 libraries to afford rational amusement and instruction to the men. 
 Many soldiers cannot read, or do so very imperfectly. It would 
 be an excellent i)Ian if a reader were appointed at some trifling 
 pay, or if a succession of readers, one to relieve the other, could 
 be induced to read aloud some interesting woi'k to such men as 
 liked to attend dui-ing these long cold nights. Extra rations 
 of fuel and light might be issued to such bodies of men 
 assembled for the pui'pose. Lord Panmure proposed, I believe, 
 that a central library should be established; but his lordship can 
 be but little aware of the distance the men would have to come, 
 or rather, of the ground they would have to pass over to any 
 point that might be selected ; and it would be a book of rare 
 attractions that could draw them from Kamara or the fi'ont to 
 the Col de Balaklava. His lordship's further suggestion that 
 two soldiers should be appointed as librarians, with Is. a day 
 and free rations, seems to indicate that he was not confident of 
 the success of his plan, and was very diffident respecting the 
 literary tastes of the men ; for two men, were they veritable 
 Briarei, could scarcely manage a central library resorted to by a 
 fair proportion of 40,000 men per diem. Lord Panmure 
 exhibits great zeal in promoting the comforts of the men. He 
 proposed, it is said, that the soldiers of the working parties 
 should, on their return from the roads in the evening, be ordered 
 to undress ; that each of them should be carefully wiped down 
 and dried ; that then he was to turn in between his blanket and 
 receive a cup of hot coffee ; and that when his clothes had been 
 dried, so that there was no dampness either from rain or the
 
 374 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 moisture caused by exercise, he was to get up and dress, and 
 enjoy himself for the evening. If any such order ever emanated 
 from Lord Panmure it was never promulgated to the army. It 
 would be rather astonishing to the survivors of the campaign of 
 last year to bo subjected to these delicate attentions on the part 
 of the authorities. 
 
 It may be as well to echo " the voices from the ranks" re- 
 specting the new Enfield rifle. As it is admitted to be nearly 
 a perfect weapon, there is no reason why the few defects 
 alleged to be in it should not be pointed out to the authorities. 
 In the first place, the men — and not only the men, but intel- 
 ligent armourer-sergeants — say, that the new way of securing 
 the barrel to the stock is not so good as the old method. We 
 have adopted the French plan of metal bauds round the barrel 
 and stock, instead of the old English fashion of paissing bolts 
 through the wood and through eyes projecting into the stock 
 from the barrel. The armourers say that the wood expands, 
 and prevents the removal of the barrel in wet weather — that the 
 iron in summer is too loose, and in winter too tight. The 
 men say the same. In the next place, they object to the ram- 
 rod, notwithstanding the recent improvement introduced into it 
 by making the upper part below the ramming end of a greater 
 diameter, so as to project beyond the rest of the ramrod into the 
 fluting, because the ramrod is still subject to stick from the 
 swelling of the wood, whereas it came out easily from the old 
 metal sheath as long as it was kept clean. The metal sheath 
 did not add much to the weight of the gun, and it is desii'able 
 perhaps that the new Enfield should not be quite so light, as it 
 is found after hard firing to become somewhat of " a kicker and 
 heavy in the heel." Thirdly, there is an objection on the part 
 of the men to the new plan, copied from the French (and Rus- 
 sians), of fixing the bayonet by a moveable ring, instead of 
 retaining tlie spring of the Minie rifle. It is true that the 
 spring sometimes broke or became weak, but there is an over- 
 whelming advantage to be derived from their retention, as I 
 shall briefly point out. It is this : — Every officer of experience 
 knows the excessive thirst produced by the saltpetre and sulphur 
 of the gunpowder getting into the mouth each time a man bites 
 the cartridge. In hot weather this thirst is nearly insupport- 
 able, and interferes with the steadiness of the men in firing. 
 But the action of biting off" the cartridge end not only causes at 
 all times a little " loosening" of the ranks, but strains the teeth
 
 NEW ENFIELD RIFLE. 375 
 
 and hurts the gums after some sixty or seventy pulls at tough 
 paper. The necessity of doing so obliges the I'egimental surgeon 
 to refuse all recruits who have not good front teeth, though 
 they may be otherwise quite serviceable. Would it not be a 
 boon to the service, and an advantage to the army and to the 
 country if this thirst and fatigue were prevented, and the neces- 
 sity for biting the cartridge obviated, provided that no change 
 were produced in the drill, and no inconvenience created by the 
 alteration ? It certainly strikes one that the answer ought to 
 be in the affirmative. Well ! Surgeon Tweeddale, of her 
 Majesty's ship " Triton," having observed the evils consequent 
 on the present plan of biting the cartridge, devised a very simple 
 remedy. The end of the bayonet spring of the Minie is flat- 
 tened out so as to afford space for the pressure of the thumb in 
 forcing it back. Dr. Tweeddale had a slit filed down in this 
 portion of the spring by the ship's armourer, so as nearly to 
 divide it vertically. By pressing the waste end of the cartridge 
 against this slit with the thumb, and jerking gently the left 
 hand, in which it is held, the paj)er is at once cut or torn off", 
 and the cartridge is ready for use. The hands are still in the 
 proper position. There is no violent alteration of drill ; the 
 Minie is not injured, and the change can be effected, without 
 incurring a farthing's expense, by the regimental armourers. 
 New rifles and fii'elocks might be henceforth turned out with a 
 cutting edge inside towards the barrel, against which to take off 
 the Avaste paper, or, at all events, some improvement could be 
 made ou the present mode, which has a smack of barbarism 
 about it. The invention — for, simple as it is, the alteration 
 deserves the name — has been submitted to General Windham, 
 but, unfortunately, most of the firelocks in the Fourth Division, 
 which was then commanded by the gallant officer, were new 
 Enfields, and the bayonets are fastened by rings. It may be 
 objected that the bayonets would be loosened by the pressure, so 
 that they would be apt to fall off if they were fixed at the time 
 of firing ; but many officers are of opinion that it would be a 
 great service to put an end to the practice of firing with fijced 
 bayonets, which is sometimes done in our army.
 
 376 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 The siege artillery ordered home — Its history — A narrow escape — The 
 flank march — A skirmish — Affair of the 18th of October — Battle of 
 Balaklava — Captain Jlaude's narrow escape — Arrival of the Colombo 
 from Kertch — The Turkish huts — The Russians once more on the alert 
 — Traffic of the French and Sardinians upon our roads — Precautionary 
 measures — High mass for Admiral Bruat — Fall of Kars — Campaign in 
 Asia — Kars might have been relieved — The question of transport — 
 Failure of the Land Transport Corps — Tricks of auxiliaries — The Land 
 Transport Corps — Army Works Corps — The cholera — Anticipations of 
 Christmas — Abundance of creature-comforts — Decorations of the huts . 
 
 The siege artilleiy has been ordered home — at least a large 
 portion of the officers and 'materiel will go ere winter is over. 
 The batteries -vvill be filled up to their full complement. The 
 staff officers of the train will return to Woolwich. Major- 
 General Dupuis will be succeeded in his command by Colonel 
 Wood, a very energetic and able officer. 
 
 It is not with any view of claiming undue pre-eminence for 
 the troop of Royal Horse Artillery which came to the Crimea 
 under the command of the gallant Maude, and which is now 
 commanded by Major Tupper during Major Brandling's absence 
 on sick leave, that I give the following resumd of their services. 
 I publish it simply because I have been able to procure the facts 
 with exactness, and because it contains a reference to the recon- 
 naissance to Dusankoi after the battle of the Alma, with which I 
 was unacquainted at the time, as well as some particulars of the 
 flank march at Mackenzie's farm. 
 
 Since the battle of the Tchernaya the field artillery have had 
 little opportunity of trying their strength with the enemy, 
 except upon one occasion, which was afforded to Major Thomas 
 at Eupatoria or Tchebotar during the recent reconnaissances, and 
 of which that officer skilfully availed himself in the presence of 
 our allies. They look forward with confidence to the results of 
 next campaign, which will enable them to show that they are 
 as superior to the Russians in the rapid and dextrous handling 
 of their guns as they are in courage under fire, and in their 
 equipments and appointment. It is with much regret that 
 Major-General Dupuis finds himself obliged to relinquish the 
 command of the Royal Horse Artillery, on account of his jn-o- 
 motion, which will effectually shelve an excellent officer, unless 
 the authorities give him the command of the Royal Horse
 
 THE ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY, 377 
 
 Artillery of one of the corps d'armie, which it is expected will 
 be formed. The artillery is a service of strict seniority, and 
 Major-General Dupuis is forced to resign his command because 
 he has been made a Major-General for " distinguished services 
 in the field." 
 
 The career of the C troop under Major Brandling may, during 
 the campaign, and up to a recent period, be considered as 
 identical with that of the I troop. The I troop. Royal Horse 
 Artillery, left Woolwich for Turkey on the 24th of April, under 
 the command of Captain Maude — Right Division under Lieu- 
 tenant Vandeleur, Left Division under Lieutenant Dashwood, 
 Centre Division, Captain Maude, and Dr. Thornton in charge — 
 and disembarked at Varna on the IGth of June. On the 26th 
 of June they moved up to join the Light Cavalry Brigade at 
 Devno, where they remained till cholera broke out among the 
 soldiers, and on the 26th of July they went to Yenibazaar. The 
 want of water was felt severely during their encampment here, 
 iu the midst of the Bulgarian summer heats, as the wells were 
 distant half a mile from the camp, with the exception of one 
 over which Lord Cardigan placed a guard for his own use for 
 the first three weeks, by which time one-third of the troops were 
 in hospital. The troop, along with the Light Cavalry Brigade 
 to which it was attached, left Yenibazaar on the 25th of August, 
 reached Varna on the 28tli, and embarked for the Crimea on 
 the 30th. On the 14th of September, they landed at Kalamita- 
 bay, and on the 19th they engaged the enemy at Bouljanak, 
 They had crossed the little bridge at the post-house when Lord 
 Raglan ordered Captain Maude to return, as it was intended to 
 rest the troops on the other side. Soon after this they were 
 ordered to cross over and advance rapidly to the front, where the 
 C troop, under Captain Brandling and Captain Strange, the 
 latter having volunteered as second captain, was already in 
 advance, and both troops at a gallop ascended the hill, and came 
 into action with ten guns of the Russian cavalry at 120(^ yards. 
 We had 5 cavalry men wounded by round shot and shell, and 
 5 horses killed on this occasion, and the Russians lost 18 men 
 killed, 35 men wounded, and 32 horses killed, including their 
 losses from the French artillery. At seven a.m., on the 20th, 
 after breakfast, the troops fell in, and the troop moved at ten 
 a.m., and at one p.m. came in front of the enemy. The I troop 
 was posted on the left flank to hold in check a large body of 
 cavahy which were eventually employed in carrying ofl" their
 
 378 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 artillery. It advanced rapidly to the heights of the Alma, 
 towards which the enemy were flying, opened fire on their 
 masses, and must have done them much damage. No men 
 were hit in the troop, and their casualties were one horse killed 
 and one wounded. On the 23rd of Septemher, nie troop accom- 
 panied the cavalrj' in a reconnaissance towards Duvankoi, a 
 ravine formed by the Belbek. Here they were placed in a most 
 dangerous position, owing to the imprudence of the officer in 
 command of the cavalry, and had the enemy possessed the least 
 dash, must infallibly have been all cut oif, as they were isolated 
 and unsupported. It was midnight ere the cavalry and troop 
 got back. On the 24th the army entered the wooded plateau 
 of the Belbek. The Scots Greys landed and joined the cavalry 
 on the 25th, and the flank march on Balaklava commenced. 
 Having crossed the road to Sebastopol, the troop came upon the 
 rearguard of the enemy making his flank march to Bakshiserai ; 
 but they retreated by a woodcutter's road, impassable to artillery, 
 and Captain Maude halted for orders, as cavalry could not act 
 in the brushwood. For four miles they moved through a road 
 in an oak wood, and saw no more of the enemy till they came 
 close to Khutor IMackenzie, when they arrived at an open field, 
 across which the Russians were pushing baggage wagons in 
 great haste. Lord Raglan and his staff' were in advance when 
 they thus debouched on the enemy — they halted and drew back, 
 and then Captain Maude brought up two guns (but did not un- 
 limber) to the end of the road. Lord Raglan sent out his 
 escort (a ti'oop of the 8th Hussars) to reconnoitre, but the Rus- 
 sians had seen us by tliis time and at once fled through the wood. 
 Captain IMaude puslied on his guns across the open to the place 
 where the road again entered the wood, and there found a body 
 of infantry drawn up to cover the retreat. The artillery at once 
 opened on them — the enemy fired a harmless volley, and disap- 
 peared in the wood, through which canister searched them out 
 as they fled. The Greys followed them for half a mile along the 
 road, and sent dismounted men into the wood, who took some 
 prisoners and reported that many were dead. In their flight 
 the enemy abandoned large quantities of baggage, ninety arabas 
 laden with grain and flour, tumbrels, carriages full of clothing, 
 and an intoxictited artillery officer. Our troops halted half 
 an hour to plunder, and tlion, turning southwards, descended 
 into the valley of the Tchernaya hj the precipitous track from 
 Mackenzie's farm. It was late when they crossed the Tcher-
 
 SERVICES OP THE ARTILLERY. 379 
 
 naya, and Loi'd Raf^lan and staff and the advanced troops 
 bivouacked there for the night; but the bulk of the army 
 and the baggage had to make a forced march all night on 
 Balaklava amid immense confusion, and with considerable loss 
 from straggler^ and sickness. On the 27th of September the 
 troops occupied tiie heights above Sebastopol, and the I troop was 
 put into possession of the snug farmstead which subsequently 
 became Lord Raglan's head-quarters, and has since been the 
 English qtiartier-gen^rale. On the 3rd of October they removed 
 to the neighbourhood of Kadikoi, and on the 26th of October 
 accompanied the cavalry to their new position within the lines 
 of Balaklava. Ou the 7th of October the Russians made a 
 reconnaissance in force in the Plains of Balaklava, but found 
 the Turks in the redoubts on the alert, and came upon the 
 English cavalry and artillery, which always turned out ere day- 
 break in the plain, and did not return to camp till 7'30. Till 
 the 17th the troop horses were worked hard in supplying mate- 
 riel to the front. On the 18th of October the enemy again 
 debouched from the Valley of the Tchernaya, but the Turkish 
 redoubts drove them back by a brisk fire. On the 25th, havuig 
 ascertained oui- exact force, the enemy came down in a fog, and 
 carried the ill-placed and defective Turkish redoubts. The 
 Horse Ai-tillery troops I and C advanced to the ridge between 
 No. 3 and JNTo. 4 Redoubts, and the guns were at once opened on 
 the Russian columns, but their artillery, numbering thirty pieces, 
 silenced the Tui'kish guns, and their left was pushed forward to 
 overlap us. Captain Maude was struck by splinters of a shell 
 on the face, in the left leg, and in the left foi-e-arm. As the 
 shell burst right on the shoulder of his horse, which was killed, 
 and blew Captain IVIaude into the air, the wonder is how he 
 escaped so well. The cavalry and artillery were then retiring 
 slowly in the direction of Balaklava, towards their supports and 
 the cover of their guns in the redoubts. 
 
 The " Colombo" came back from Kertch a few days ago, 
 having landed with creditable expedition and despatch Major 
 Bondhier's battalion of the Turkish Contingent, and sailed on 
 Saturday for Constantinople. She reports that provisions were 
 rather scarce in the camps, and that the enemy eflectually deter 
 the Tartars from bringing in supplies, and are closing round the 
 place as though they meant to attack the position. The Con- 
 tingent is assuming shape and form every day. It will be able 
 to give a good account of the Russians should they indeed assail
 
 380 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 such a formidable position as that occupied by the allies. The 
 Turkish huts are described as bein^' admirably suited for the 
 winter, and to excel those erected by our men at vast expense in 
 every quality which a hut for troops should possess. The enemy 
 have succeeded in bm-ning a good deal of the hfy stored up for 
 the whiter by the allies, or rather placed in positions where they 
 thought they could rely on getting it for use. It seems that 
 this may be the reason why the " Colombo" was sent in search 
 of the cavalry of the Contingent, with orders for their retm'n to 
 the Bosphorus. The " Colombo" met them in the Black Sea, 
 and delivered the orders, on which the vessel's head was turned 
 round fi-om Kertch, and she retraced her course to Constantinople. 
 
 Betore Sebastopol, December 11. 
 The monotony of life in tHs huge military colony has been 
 broken slightly by the appearance of the Eussians on the heights 
 of Ourkousta, and by some demonstrations of an intention on 
 their part to try the strength of the French positions in the 
 Baidar Valley. It would be of great consequence to them, and 
 of some detriment to us, if they succeeded in restricting the 
 ground covered by our outposts, which now affords fuel to the 
 army and food for cattle, and it is not at all impossible that 
 whenever the state of the country admits of the movement of 
 materiel, the attempt of Sunday last will be repeated on a larger 
 scale. As the French have retired in the presence of winter, the 
 enemy have thrown forward their advanced posts at Koluluz 
 and Markul to the north-east, and from Aitodor and Ozembash 
 to the north of Baidar. Sunday morning was dark and drizzly, 
 and the previous night had been wet and stormy. The Russians, 
 with theii' usual feline aptitude for surprises, crept round the 
 little village of Baga in the dark, and just at the dawn rushed 
 in upon the small party of French which occupied it. For a 
 time the surprise was complete ; but our gallant allies soon got 
 together, and after a smart fusillade, di'ove out the enemy at 
 the point of the bayonet. The Russians had many horsemen 
 with them. In the pm-suit of the Cossacks our allies managed 
 to capture some forty horses, for the former gentry fled by a road 
 which in old times was good enough for a run, but they were 
 astonished to find themselves stopped by a deep scarp at a pretty 
 spot, where a wall of rock closed the road at the right-hand side, 
 and a precipice formed the left-hand boundary, so they had no- 
 thing for it but to dismount and scramble across, leaving tho
 
 A SHARP SKIRMISH. 381 
 
 horses, accouh'ements and all, to theii- fate. In this affair the 
 French had one officer mortally wounded, seven men killed, and 
 thirteen wounded, and the Russians are said to have left seventy 
 dead on the ground, and twenty men prisoners in the hands of 
 the French. These are the nuiiibers reported by rumour, but 
 an exact statement will no doubt appear in the official 
 despatches. 
 
 The enemy fire upon the town most pertinaciously and 
 futilely, for they do not in the smallest degree hinder the execu- 
 tion of the works in which we are engaged, nor do they prevent 
 the accomplishment of the duties of the garrison. Their fire is 
 especially directed upon the docks, and it is not to be wondered 
 at if some few casualties have been caused by it. All attempt 
 to reply to their works appears to have been abandoned by the 
 allies. 
 
 Although since Sunday the heavy rains and storms which 
 prevailed last week have ceased, the country is in a very heavy 
 state ; and as the French roads have failed, and are in a very bad 
 condition, an immense increase of traffic is thrown upon oui-s, as 
 the French cut in upon them whenever and wherever they can, 
 ■while the duty of repair falls exclusively on our army. This is 
 scarcely fair, especially when the French do not permit our laud 
 transport to use their road to Kamiesch. It is no exaggeration 
 to say that the traffic of French and Sardinians on the roads 
 from Balaklava to Kadikoi is as heavy as our own. Under 
 present circumstances, Colonel Wetherall, the Director- General 
 of Land Transport Corps, has felt himself obliged to lighten the 
 bui'dens on the corps as speedily and as much as possible. In 
 compliance with his recommendations, orders have been given to 
 suspend the carriage of hutting materials to the front, so that 
 many thousands of men Avill have to pass the winter under 
 canvas, unless the huts be sent up before the bad weather sets 
 in with severity. In fact, mules and carts were fast disappear- 
 ing ; I have been told that of the former not less than 1200 
 have perished or have been destroyed since the rains began, and 
 I should be afraid to repeat the number given to me of carts, 
 &c., broken down. The English pack saddles are described as 
 being of most inferior construction and materials, and the carts 
 and wagons are simply disgraceful to the contractors. Is there 
 no way of punishing men who make a profit out of the public 
 money, and still are not contented unless they cheat and weaken 
 their country ? Colonel Wetherall has called a Board to inquire
 
 382 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 into the condition of carts, wagons, harness, pack saddles, and 
 horses and mules. The effect of this will he to cause such as 
 may he unfit for use to he condemned. Others will he supplied, 
 that we may he in an efficient state next spring ^'hen the cam- 
 paign opens. Not only is the carriage of hutting suspended, 
 hut officers are ohliged to bring up the forage for their hat 
 animals and horses from the divisional and other depots ; and 
 those who have gone home on urgent private affairs, and have 
 left horses for the public service on the condition of the issue of 
 rations of forage to them, are informed by a General Order that 
 such issue will be suspended after the ist of January. The 
 railway will be handed over to the Commissariat on Monday 
 next, and meantime the accumulations of stores at the depots 
 are fast disappearing. 
 
 General Windham proposes large alterations in the whole 
 ti'ansport service, and next year it is not improbable that the 
 corps will consist of nearly 20,000 men and 20,000 mules and 
 horses. The recruiting officers might advantageously exert 
 themselves to procure a better class of men than those recently 
 sent out. The conduct of those who have just arrived in the 
 " Ripon" was, on the voyage from England, very discreditable. 
 
 On ]\Ionday a High Mass, at which many English officers 
 attended, was performed on board the French flag-ship for the 
 soul of Admiral Bruat. The decease of the Admiral has been 
 learnt by our navy with sincere regret. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, December 15. 
 
 The week has passed away without any change in the position, 
 hut it has brought with it many rumours. The intelligence of 
 the fall of Kars is now authenticated. It has caused a painful 
 feeling, in spite of the prophecy that it Avill tend to peaceful 
 solutions of the great " difficulty," inasmuch as it will soothe 
 the pride of Russia, and enable her to offer one success as a 
 counterpoise to the fall of Sebastopol and the victories on 
 which that fall depended. 
 
 There is a general indisposition to a campaign in Asia, of 
 which there is now some talk, and both French and English 
 would much rather match themselves against the Russians in 
 Europe than fight so far away from home, where the results of 
 victory are visible only to politicians. It seems to be the opinion 
 that the Turks are quite able to defend their Asiatic possessions, 
 if they are permitted to do so.
 
 THE FALL OF KARS. 383 
 
 Cinticism on military matters by civilians is totally worthless 
 when the questions agitated relate to the details of manoeuvres 
 or to pm-e strategy, but military men cannot expect to be 
 exempted from the criticism of civilians on general questions 
 relative to the conduct of the war. Captain Smith may have 
 his Grenadier company in perfect order and discipline, and may 
 lead them with the greatest gallantry ; but the civilian who 
 from some eminence sees Captain Smith leading them into broken 
 ground, filled with riflemen or swept with grape, where their 
 order and discipline are of little service to them, is entitled to 
 exclaim, " What a fool that fellow is !" Now that Kars has 
 fallen, every one says, " What the deuce were Omar Pasha and 
 his brave Turks doing so long towards Baidar, or encamped on 
 the tumuli overlooking the plains of Balaklava and the English 
 head-quarters ? Of what use were they so long as they were 
 kept in transitu between Eupatoria and the Col of Balaklava, 
 or on the tramp between Kamara and Phoros ? Why was Kars 
 allowed to fall, and why was Omar Pasha sent to Asia Minor 
 so late in the year ?" The defence of Kars was honourable, 
 but so was the defence of Sebastopol, and Kars is not less 
 Russian because it was won by so much of their best blood. 
 The Tui'ks have been, indeed (according to the testimony of all 
 acquainted with them), most miserably mismanaged and badly 
 handled, and no use has been made of them except to garrison 
 Eupatoria, which they would have been able to do with at most 
 half of their army. Thus the remaining half might have been 
 set free for active operations. Although the fate of Kars can- 
 not materially influence the result of operations in the Crimea, 
 active operations directed against the enemy from Kars might, 
 in the opinion of most excellent judges, have produced very 
 considerable results on the calculations of the next campaign, 
 and on the prospects of the war. But the fall of Kars pro- 
 duces no surprise here — the wonder rather seems to be that it 
 held out so long, and every one appears to admit that he had a 
 secret presentiment that the city must, sooner or later, fall into 
 the hands of the Russians. Every one, at least, who knew the 
 country, felt persuaded that Omar Pasha's expedition set out too 
 late, and yet we all fell into ecstasies at the passage of the 
 Ingour, and talked of the march on Kutais as if these things 
 could save Kars, and no one cared to look at the map or con- 
 sider the chances of doing so. The fall of the place now some- 
 what complicates the plan of a campaign next year, but,
 
 384 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 wherever we may go, there is unquestionably a strong feeling on 
 the part of our allies against operations in Asia. 
 
 Next year we are told that the Transport Corps will consist of 
 19,000 men and of 19,000 animals, for it has been found abso- 
 lutely necessary to have one man for each mule or horse. The men 
 will be furnished by the army to a great extent, as it is impos- 
 sible to intrust the animals to many of those who are now em- 
 ployed, and I regret to say that this remark applies not only to 
 Tm-ks and Italians, but to Englishmen. The foreigners in our 
 employment have frequently refused to turn out in the mornings 
 when the weather is bad, and the Italian mule and hoi'se drivers 
 are particularly refractory on such occasions. Starvation, cold, 
 and the a re/ ii men turn Jiagelli have not the least influence upon 
 them. They produce secret hoards of tobacco and sheaves of 
 pipes, and, like so many Prometheuses, steal fire, and then 
 smoke away with sore backs, empty stomachs, and happy con- 
 sciences. It may be objected that such extensive di'aughts from 
 the army and such levies of the best men in the regiments will 
 be prejudicial to combatant efficiency, but then the most fight- 
 ing army in the world is no good if it is not mobile, and it is 
 wise to diminish its numbers — even by one-half — if the act will 
 enable the residue to march against their enemy. It will be 
 remarked that the difficulty at present arises from the convey- 
 ance of necessaries (or of supposed necessaries) of life to the 
 army, and that neither baggage of officers or men nor warlike 
 stores have to be carried to the front. What would the dif- 
 ficulty be if the corps had to carry baggage, tents, Stores, am- 
 munition, and Commissariat supplies ? 
 
 Colonel Wetherall, the Director-General, has already gained 
 the confidence and respect of the officers of the Land Ti-ansport 
 Corps and of the Conmiissariat, and he of course possesses in a 
 high degi'ee the confidence of the chiefs of military departments. 
 So far he is secure of support and of that attentive consideration 
 of his suggestions and opinions, which is invaluable to an officer 
 in his position. But it must not be forgotten that the organizer 
 of the corps, Colonel M'Murdo, laboured long, earnestly, and 
 well to breathe life into it, and that, until he was stricken down 
 by illness, his labours were successful. There are yet the marks 
 of the chisel on the body to which he imparted vitality — it was 
 but rough-hewn, though moving and healthy, when he left us. 
 It is, perhaps, rather unfortunate that so many commissions in 
 this regiment have been given to non-commissioned officers of
 
 MEANS OF TRANSPORT. 385 
 
 tlie artillery and of other bodies, inasmucli as the army is 
 deprived of the services of such a number of excellent men, who 
 can be but badly spared in the present state of our regiments. 
 There is moreover so much apparent confusion in the grades, 
 such as " Quartermaster of Brigade," " Cornet," and " Second 
 Captain," that the corps, in fact, partakes of the characteristics 
 of an infantry regiment, of a cavalry regiment, and of an artil- 
 lery regiment, and it looks like neither fish, ilesh, nor good red 
 herring. The elevation of so many non-commissioned officers to 
 the rank of cornet gives occasion to many yoiuig officers to 
 ridicule the corps, and to speak of it in contemptuous terms, but 
 these young gentlemen do not recollect that, in the infancy of 
 such a body, it is absolutely necessary to fill the ranks of 
 executive officers with steady, experienced, handy, and energetic 
 men. There is much to be done with this regiment if we wish 
 to make war in deserts, or to pass the wastes created by flying 
 Cossacks. Not less than 1500 animals — mules and horses — 
 have perished in a short time since the wet weather set in, and 
 the sick stables are crowded. It is evident there must be some 
 radical defect in any corps in which such a mortality could take 
 place, and the defect is certainly not attributable to the officers 
 of the regiment. 
 
 As an instance of our being really " a standing army," I may 
 point out that the Army Works Corps has been sent out liei"e 
 without the smallest provision being made for its mobilization, 
 and Mr. Uoyne could not send 500 men to accompany our expe- 
 dition ten miles into the country in a fit state to throw up 
 works, and provided with tools and the necessaries of their 
 trade, if the safety of the army depended on it. Every effort 
 has been made to diminish the strain on the transport. The 
 carriage of huts has ceased, and officers now draw their own 
 forage ; and, indeed, it was desirable to check the strong eques- 
 trian tendencies of our excellent infantry officers, who, when off 
 duty, delight in an irregular cavalry Bashi-Bazouk existence, 
 scom'ing the plains in dog-hunts or foragmg m Kamiesch or 
 Kadikoi from the piu'e love of the thing. It is very hard on 
 some men, and it is very just towards others, to make them 
 draw provisions for their own horses, but it is still found that, 
 do what we can, the Transport Corps must have "rest," and it 
 is now ordered that all wagons, carts, &c., belonging to it 
 shall be cleared out of Balaklava by two o'clock on each day. 
 
 It is fortunate our roads have stood the ordeal of this bad 
 VOL. II. c c
 
 386 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 weather so well ; the pressure upon them has been very great, 
 and has exceeded the anticipations of the authorities, for the 
 Preuch are most liberal in their patronage. Tlie objectors who 
 at first clamoured against i\Ir. Doyne, and said his roads were 
 too wide, his ditches too deep, and his drains too large, now 
 hold their tongues, or candidly admit they were in error. In 
 fact, the trains of carts often block up in regular Temple-bar 
 fashion even now, and the situation is not pleasant when it 
 occurs between deep cuttings. The drainage has been well 
 maintained, but it has been necessary to watch the culverts 
 made of barrels, as the wood was stolen at night for fuel. The 
 railway is in excellent order, and the locomotives to Kadikoi run 
 up and down incessantly with such trucks as are left. The 
 French roads are not good, and they have been forced to place 
 large working parties upon them. 
 
 The winter has set in, but cold and frost have lost their 
 terrors for the army now. There is an old saying that " a 
 green Christmas makes a full churchyard," and it might have 
 been realized, inasmuch as the cholera had appeared in the 
 Highland regiments — notable sufferers in epidemics of the kind — 
 and some cases had occurred in other regiments, before the 
 thermometer fell below freezing point. On Tuesday forenoon 
 the thermometer was at 55° ; on Wednesday it was 50° ; on 
 Tliursday it fell to 28° ; on Friday it was 22° ; this moi-ning it 
 mai-ked 20° Fahrenheit. With moderate exercise, hard ground, 
 good footing, good feeding, warm clothing, and occupation, there 
 is little reason to entertain any apprehension for the troops 
 during the winter. It must be stated, however, that the com- 
 plaints against the new huts are numerous and well founded, 
 and during the recent wet weather it was seriously proposed to 
 remove the men out of the huts and put them into double tents. 
 'L'hey never were Intended, I presume, to keep out water with- 
 out some felt or waterproof covering, and up to the present 
 moment none has been provided, and not even the tar and pitch 
 in one of the vessels at Jialaklava can be landed. Still this will 
 be a joyous Christmas, as far as it can be away from friends and 
 home. Solitary subalterns ride out to Miskomia, and gaze 
 gloomily on the beautiful mistletoe which grows on all the wild 
 pear and apple trees in these lovely valleys. Their contentment 
 returns when they think of the fat goose, which, tied by the 
 log, is awaiting his doom by the kitchen tent or bakehouse, or 
 of the tender pig, which has been reared up from his childhood
 
 ANTICIPATIONS OF CKllISTilAS. 387 
 
 for the sole object of dolug honour to the coming feast, and is 
 "just fit to be killed." Ah-eady contrasts are drawn between 
 dinners in the trenches, on dreary outposts, on remote guards 
 and pickets last year, and the luxuries which are forthcoming 
 for the grand English festival. Men remember " that tough 
 old turkey, which cost 40s., and that turned the edge of the 
 carver like plate glass," and laugh over the fate which seemed 
 somehow to attend most efforts to be jolly last Christmas, and 
 then turn and look round their huts, which are generally, it 
 must be confessed, very like retail grocers' establishments, back- 
 wood stores, or canteenmen's magazines. The shelves which 
 are placed along the walls in layers, the cupboards being made 
 of packing-cases or powder-boxes, are filled with spates in Stras- 
 burg ware, hams, tins of soups and preserves, made dishes, 
 vegetables, long-necked bottles of French manufacture, and the 
 stumpier sturdier work of the English glass-blower. There is 
 a stove or some substitute for a fireplace in each hut, and it 
 always enjoys the advantage of a famous draught fi'om the door 
 and walls. As to the latter, the embellishments upon them 
 wile away many an idle hour, and afford opportunities for the 
 exercise of taste, good and bad, the monuments of which must 
 perish with the spring. They consist chiefly of illustrations 
 from the pictorial papers and Punch, which are transposed inge- 
 niously by the introduction of faces, figures, and bits out of 
 different engravings, with the view of giving them a ludicrous 
 or whimsical character, and the result is often very amusing. 
 The walls are covered with them ; a pastepot, a pair of scissors, 
 some old papers, and a little fancy — these are materials of which 
 a man can make wonderful use in enlivening and decorating the 
 wooden walls of his temporary residence. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 Diary — OczakofT fortified — Number of Russian troops in tlie Crimea, 
 according to the IiivaU(k Rasse — Exliaustion of Russia — Tlie Baslii- 
 Bazoalcs of trade and commerce — Valuable officers — Balaklava weU 
 worth a visit — Puzzles for antiquarians — Discoveries — Hazardous 
 guesses — Sebastopol not tlie place for a pleasure excursion — A hard- 
 working lieutenant — One hundred times in the trenches — Mistakes 
 at home — Rumours of an Order of Jlerit of Victoria. 
 
 December 11. 
 
 According to intelligence received from Kinburn, the Russians 
 
 exhibit their usual energy in casting up defensive works along 
 
 c c 2
 
 388 CAMP EMPLOYMENT?. 
 
 tlic banks of the Bug, and there is reason to believe that they 
 are equally active in throwing lines across the spit before 
 Oherson, and in making redoubts to oppose the march of any 
 force from Kinburn upon the last-named city. The Dnieper is 
 supposed to be quite impracticable, and the Bug will speedily 
 ofler enormous obstacles to the advance of even the most heavily 
 armed and lightest-built gun-boats and mortar-vessels. The 
 enemy are also placing OczakoiF in a condition of defence, and in 
 this they confine themselves to making Avorks on the upper cliffs, 
 which can scarcely be touched by the fire of our ships. 
 
 The Cossacks have shown themselves from time to time in the 
 neighbourhood of Kinburn, but the state of the spit prevents 
 them from establishing a camp or even a grand guard near the 
 fort. Three military and three naval French officers, who went 
 out shooting on the spit, a few days after the sailing of the 
 ships for Kamiesch, were picked up and made prisoners by these 
 lynx-eyed gentry. They surrounded our gallant allies under 
 cover of a i'og, and then lured them one after another into their 
 snares, by shouting in French, and discharging their carbines. 
 They literally used snares, for they had ropes all ready for each 
 man as they caught him, and to bind him if he resisted or tried 
 to give the alarm to his comrades. The capture of Kinburn, 
 which was, I believe, altogether a French notion, is now gene- 
 rally regarded with the dislike I ventured to express of it at the 
 time, and is thought to have had the effect of rendering 
 Nicholaieff and Cherson inaccessible by water. It will be 
 observed that in the account of the Czar's visit to his troops in 
 the Crimea, which appeared in the Invalide Riisse, and was 
 copied into The Times of the 6th of December, the cor2Ts d'armee 
 which are mentioned are the 2nd (posted on the Alma), the 3rd 
 (on the Belbek and Youkari Karaleze), the 4th (at the Katcha, 
 and on the heights between Inkermann and Mackenzie), and the 
 5th (in the lines and forts of Sebastopol North and on the 
 Belbek). The 11th Infantry Division, which belongs to the 4th 
 Infantry Corps, is mentioned separately, as having been stationed 
 at Duvankoi. Now, if that account be true, as there is no reason 
 to doubt it is, it would appear that four out of the six corps 
 d'armi'e into which the Russian army is divided were then in 
 the Crimea, leaving available for the defence of the empire only 
 the Guards corps, the Grenadier corps, the 1st (and (Jth ?) 
 Infantry corps, and the Finland. Siberian, Orenburg, and Cauca- 
 sian corps, the latter four of which may be regarded as localized
 
 EXHAUSTIOX OF RUSSIA. 389 
 
 ill the districts where they are raised. To this foree must he 
 added tlie raw levies of militia and the cavalry reserve, hut it 
 will he seen that the flower of the Russian army (comprising the 
 4th and 6th corps, which were selected for the invasion of the 
 Principalities) are in the Crimea, and that an active, energetic, 
 and successful enemy might have put an end to the war in this 
 peninsula, if he could have cut them off from Perekop and 
 Tchongar. It is stated that in the month of September last the 
 16th and I7tli Infantry divisions were at Mackenzie, and, if that 
 be true, it follows that a portion of the 6th Infantry eor^js 
 d'armee was also in the Crimea, and we have reason to believe 
 that regiments of Guards and Grenadiers were also at this side 
 of Perekop during the campaign of the past summer. Accord- 
 ing to the same authority, the following was the position of the 
 various divisions before the fall of the south side : — The 4th and 
 5th Divisions at Inkermann, the 6th Division at Koralis — 2nd 
 corjjs d'armee. The 7tli Division at Koralis, the 8th and 9th 
 Divisions posted between Mangup Kaleh along the heights to 
 8implieropol — 3rd corps iVarmee. The lOth Division, ditto; 
 the 11th Division at Duvankoi, the 12th at Savernaia — 4th. 
 coi'jys d'armt'e. The 13th Division reserve at Duvankoi, the 
 15th Division near JMangup Kaleh — 5th cor]JS d'arniee, mimis 
 the 14th Division. The 16th Division at Mackenzie, the 17th 
 Division at Mackenzie and Belbek — 6th corps d'armee, minus 
 the 18tli Division. 
 
 There is no doubt that a portion of the Grenadiers, at all 
 events, passed through Cherson last September on their way to 
 the Crimea, for an officer of ours, who was prisoner there for a 
 month, assured me he saw them march past, and says they were 
 great hulking fellows, just like the other troops in dress and 
 equipment, with the exception of the colour and marks on the 
 facings. These statements are the most singular evidences of 
 the exhaustion of Russia, and of the falsity of her paper returns, 
 which do indeed " crumple up" very readily in the gaunt grip 
 of war. But now she has rest and leisure to recruit herself, to 
 fill up the cadres and reserves, to drill her savage population, to 
 plot new intrigues. Having beaten their man down, the allies 
 permit his seconds to take him on the knee, to give him restora- 
 tives, to get him into training, and to bring him into the ring 
 once more. He is moving his muscles all along the Mackenzie 
 heights to-day, and is getting himself into fine training condi- 
 tion for his new fight.
 
 390 CAMP ElIPLOYJIEXTS. 
 
 Lieutenant Dawson, R.A., who was so terribly injured in the 
 explosion of the loth of November, is dead ; and Lieutenant 
 Frazer, 63rd Regiment, was buried yesterda3\ Both officers are 
 deeply regretted by their conn-ades. Poor Dawson was quite 
 safe after the explosion, but he rushed into the park in the midst 
 of the fire, and began removing the live shells Avitli the greatest 
 coolness and gallantry, and it was while he was thus engaged 
 that he received his fatal wound. 
 
 Deceniber 13, 10 A.M. 
 
 The storm howled and raged fearfully over the camp last 
 night, and brought a deluge of rain, which it discharged in 
 waterspouts, driving it through huts and tents, and forcing it in, 
 streams through the minutest interstices. The gusts were 
 extremely violent, and the beating of the rain kept many a one 
 awake with only one topic of consolation, namely, that there was 
 " No trench guard to-night." Until four o'clock the wind 
 seemed to come from the south-west, but at that hour it veered 
 round towards the north, and became bitterly cold. All at once the 
 rain was converted into hail and snow ; the wet ground began 
 to freeze ; and at eight o'clock, by one of those magical changes 
 which can only be equalled by the chjanical landscapes of our 
 childhood, the whole camp, which, at sundown last night, was 
 an expanse of blackish mud, dotted with white tents and huts, 
 became a sheet of dazzling white, marked with lines of dusky, 
 greyish habitations of canvas and wood. The wind has now 
 diminished in force, but it is exceedingly cold and penetrating. 
 The unfortunate natives of Southern Europe or of Asia, employed 
 in such myriads in the service of the ai-my, suffer greatly on 
 such occasions, and perish lik6 flies when the frost comes. The 
 huge swarm of camp followers, who, to the number of some ten 
 thousand, hover about the canteens and round Balaklava, Kadikoi, 
 and the fairs, also feel the effects of this weather bitterlj^ This 
 army is, indeed, the cloaca gentium, and has absorbed in its 
 train all the itinerant scampishness of the old world. It is 
 much to the credit of the Provost-Marshals and their assistants, 
 that these myriad specimens of the di-egs of all nations have 
 been preserved so perfectly and kept in such admirable order. 
 
 An outrage was committed at Kamiesch on Monday last of a 
 very barbarous character, and I am sorry to say the perpetrator 
 was a soldier and an Englishman. It appears that a man 
 employed in a canteen in the town gave some cause of offence to 
 the sergeant of the detachment of the 11th Hussars quartered at
 
 AN OUTRAGE AT KAMIESCIT. 391 
 
 Kazatch, for orderly duty between head-quarters and the admiral. 
 The sergeant, having armed himself with a pistol, went to the 
 canteen, and acciised the man of being a deserter from the Royal 
 Albert, calling on him at the same time to surrender and follow 
 him. The man denied that he was a deserter, and refused to 
 go, whei-eupon the sergeant hred at hun across the counter, in- 
 flicting upon him a mortal wound, of which he died in a very- 
 short time in great agony. The sergeant was at once seized by 
 persons m the canteen, and is now under close arrest. How- 
 ever, considering the vast number of all sorts and conditions of 
 men out here, it is onl}^ astonishing that acts of violence have 
 been so few and far between. There are not less than 25,000 
 camp followers, including those of the French, Sardinians, and 
 English, belonging to the allied army, or hanging on their skirts ; 
 and some persons are inclined to believe that this estimate is 
 very much under the mark. In the pursuit of gain most of these 
 people expose themselves to considerable hardships and priva- 
 tions. How they provide fodder for the beasts they drive is one 
 of the secrets of their peculiar existence, and the variety of vehi- 
 cles belonging to these Bashi-Bazouks of trade and commerce 
 constitute a cimous detail of the wonders of the camp. 
 
 One may witness even now some few of the incidents of the 
 scenes of last year repeated. It was but yesterday that I saw 
 an old Turk in a moribund state carried into Balaklava on the 
 back of a native almost as wretched- looking as himself; and 
 riding on to the Land Transport camp, between Kadikoi and 
 the Col, I beheld a native bearing in the same way a living- 
 skeleton from one tent into another. These men, who are 
 generally employed as muleteers, 'are provided by Government 
 with long Turkish gregos, but, somehow or other, exposure 
 to bad w^eather produces disastrous results on them, although 
 their frames seem very vigorous. I am afraid the Temperance 
 Society wont forgive me if I express a private opinion that a 
 little stimulant might be " exhibited" on these poor fellows, who 
 eat largely of vegetables, and are saturated with onions, garlic, 
 and leeks ; and that, under present cu'cumstances they might, 
 without injury, partake of a moderate quantity of spirits. If I 
 am not mistaken, Sir Philip Crampton was of opinion that so 
 long as the Irish were a potatophagous race, a predilection for 
 whisky would be found among them, in obedience to a secret 
 sympathy of nature, which sought an ally in alcohol against the 
 effects of her esculent enemy. I do not know for certain that
 
 392 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 tlie gallant Surgeon-General ever expressed that opinion, nor 
 would I invoke teetotal wrath and water on his head by saying 
 so ; and I beg to disclaim, also, the smallest intention of 
 theorizing, for I think of the Hindoos and rice, of Yankee 
 whalers and hot coffee, and I tremble and am silent. There is 
 this very morning a very pretty little rebellion among the native 
 drivers of the Land Transport Corps of the Fourth Division. 
 They wont stir, in spite of eloquent exhortations in the best 
 Hindostanee addressed to them by Captain Dick, who is stand- 
 ing knee deep in snow and mud, and haranguing them as they 
 lie inside their tents. They " sahib" away and shrug their 
 shoulders, and plaintively express a decided desire to be flogged, 
 accompanied by suggestions also that they should be at once 
 executed; but they one and all declare that work they will not 
 on such a raw and gusty day as this. Many of these Hindo- 
 stanees will be sent away forthwith. 
 
 The more one sees of home management the deeper becomes 
 the conviction that it is extremely injudicious even in the most 
 vigorous hands, and under the most experienced heads. There 
 is not a naval officer in Balaklava who could not give numerous 
 examples of the waste of money which takes place eveiy day in 
 harbour, and of the absurdities and contradictions involved in 
 plans and orders which appear perfectly wise and prudent at 
 home. Take a little case in camp : — In the Fourth Division a 
 contract was entered into by the Commissariat with a French 
 baker to provide the troops with bread. The man set up ovens, 
 hired workmen, and very soon began to furnish supplies of 
 bread of excellent quality. Suddenly orders were received to 
 close the contract ; English bakers were coming out from Eng- 
 land, and they were to malce bread much more cheaply than 
 it could be done under the contract. Accordingly the French- 
 man was dismissed, but not before a commission or a board 
 had sat to award him compensation for the bakehouse and 
 ovens, and he had received a very decent little lump of money 
 on that score. Well, the English dozen of bakei's — thii'teen 
 of them — arrived in the front, and the first consequence of 
 their arrival is that we have no bread, and that the troops 
 receive biscuit. The bakers demand yeast ; they can't work in 
 the French bakehouse ; the French ovens wont do ; the house 
 must be altered ; they are, in fact, unable to make bread. Ex- 
 pense will be incurred in altering the bakehouse and ovens ; 
 materials for doing so are procured at Balaklava and carried np
 
 BALAKLAVA HARBOUR. 393 
 
 to the Iron stores, but that is some distance from the bakery. 
 Application is made to the Divisional Land Transport for carts 
 to convey these materials to the bakery, but the officer in com- 
 mand is bound to refuse it by rigid orders, and so the bakers sit 
 idle, and the troops cat biscuit, instead of bread ; but the bakers, 
 nevertheless, are paid just as much as if they made bread. I 
 should be unwilUng to say how many little things of this kind 
 are constantly occui'ring. Would any one take the trouble to 
 investigate the exact state of things in Balaklava harbour at 
 this moment, he would be astonished to find so much money 
 and money's worth going to waste, which to all appearances 
 might be avoided. Everj^ allowance must be made for the 
 natural desire of the authorities at home to obviate the smallest 
 discomfort, and to prevent the recurrence of the miseries 
 of last year ; and therefore I, for one, shall not imdertake to 
 become the censor of acts which spring from such feelings. 
 Admiral Fremantle is assiduous in his administration of the 
 affairs of the port, and takes a higher position than poor Admiral 
 Boxer, who with rare energy and personal vigour, tried to 
 combine the duties of port-admiral and harbour-master, and 
 obtained a portion of success, which, if not by any means large, 
 was very praiseworthy under the circumstances. Admiral Fre- 
 mantle is aided by an excellent officer, whose abilities have been 
 zealously exercised for a long time for the public service in this 
 war — his secretary, Mr. Pritchard — and the executive officers of 
 the various departments are unremitting in the discharge of 
 theh" duties. Commander Lacon, the principal agent of tran- 
 sports, was just master of the position, and had become perfectly 
 acquainted with the details of his department, when the 
 Admiralty, with wonderful tact, supersede him at the very nick 
 of time, and send out a new man to learn his trade as agent of 
 transports — Captain Burnet, B.N., who will perhaps be removed 
 in turn just as he has attained to the executive knowledge now 
 possessed by Commander Lacon. The harbour-master, Mr. 
 Paul, — Lieutenant Hawkins, who has been unremitting in his 
 exertions in hoisting out and landing all the guns and mortars 
 used for the siege, — Lieutenant Scott, in charge of the sick 
 landing wharf, — Lieutenant Freese, Transport Department, — 
 all, in fact, are actuated by the utmost anxiety to do their best, 
 and to leave no cause for complaint in the execution of their 
 difficult duties ; and, if it is not in mortals to command 
 success, nearly every one of these officers deserves to do so, but
 
 394 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 directions from home, and home arrangements, sometimes send 
 all the fruits of their labours to the dogs. 
 
 The discipline of the harbom- is strict, but it sometimes 
 happens that a number of mirtdy Turks or Greeks run theii- 
 vessels right in slap-dash among the vessels, neither compre- 
 hending signals nor regulations. The order of mooring is pre- 
 served strictly by English ships. The shipping lie with sterns 
 to the quays, in three rows, the inner line consisting of ships 
 with cargoes of first necessity, and so on ; the large vessels lie in 
 deep water at the Diamond Wharf, high up the harbour on the 
 western side. The Sardinians have a portion of the harbour 
 near the Cattle Wharf, and the French a reserved quay close to 
 them. With its forests of m.asts closely packed together — its 
 wall-like sides of rock — its wooden houses — its railway — its 
 party coloured population — its Babel of tongues — its huge 
 mountains of stores piled for many feet high by the water's 
 edge — its ti'cmendous traffic — its mud — its locomotive whistling 
 through the main street, and regarded by the rude Tartar from 
 distant holes as a wild beast of inconceivable power and ferocity 
 — and its picturesque old ruins, Balaklava is well worth a visit. 
 By-the-bye, any antiquary who desires to see the castle must 
 come out quick ; it is undergoing demolition fast, and the work 
 of the Genoese is from time to time being transferred to the 
 holds of merchantmen in the ignoble form of "ballast!" This 
 is permitted in order to save demurrage dues. It is lucky, 
 perhaps, that the Piraeus is not the scene of our operations, for 
 in that case the Acropolis in a fragmentary state might now be 
 €72 route for Newcastle, as the centre of gravity of the Black 
 Diamond transport, and the Parthenon might be employed to 
 trim the " John Smith, of London." But, if we destroy, so 
 do we create. A splendid military road from Balaklava to the 
 front, with numerous branches and arms, is no bad equivalent 
 for the Avails of a ruined fortress. Colonel ]\Tunro has, as you 
 have heard, brought to light an interesting building which may 
 yet derange the intellects of the leading members of the Archae- 
 ological Society, and, although he has gone away home, the 
 researches he inaugurated are continued. There are now visible, 
 in addition to the circular building, the remains of three smaller 
 buildings, and the wall which enclosed the whole, formed of 
 massive blocks of stone, manj' of which bear the marks of the 
 chisel. Being utterly ignorant of the uses of the concavities, 
 lined with red tiles, which are found in the circular building
 
 AN INTERESTING BUILDING, 395 
 
 and in one of the other buildings, it will be most prudent in me 
 not to hazard a guess as to the nature of these interesting 
 excavations. Yet, in the exercise of the right of private 
 judgment, I maybe permitted to say that I doubt that they are 
 the ruins of a temple, inasmuch as the use of mortar would 
 seem to indicate a more recent origin than the supposition that 
 they were formerly the scenes of human sacrifices would justify; 
 and, indeed, the rudeness of the architecture would point to a 
 barbarous age, between the old civilization and the new. It is 
 not Cyclopean, nor Grecian, nor Italian ; the x^eople who left 
 behind them the ruins of Chersonese, or the caves of Inkermann, 
 or the forts of Balaklava, could scarcely have been the builders 
 of these walls. Perhaps, after all, it was a sort of fortress 
 used by a little colony as a defence against the barbarians 
 who in those days haunted the heights of Mackenzie ; that the 
 enclosure Avas a farmyard ; the circular building, in which there 
 is a deep well, a house of defence ; and the concavities rude 
 magazines for the reception of winter stores, some of which 
 cheeses might have been prepared on the flat stones found in the 
 buildings. 
 
 December 13, 1 p.m. 
 
 The wind ceased about mid-day ; it is now freezing sharply ; 
 but the sun is shining, and the sky is tolerably clear. Black 
 tracks already appear in the white snow, as the men and carts 
 toil across the plateau. In the distance, on the heights over 
 the Tchernaya, the Russians can be seen at drill. Tliere is 
 some reason to believe that the position from Inkermann to 
 Aitodor is partly occupied by ]\Iilitia regiments, and no doubt 
 they imdergo a good deal of goose-step these quiet times. The 
 an- is full of drumming and fifing and trumpeting. The regi- 
 ments are getting up their bands again, and the exertion is 
 generally distressing to the neighbourhood ; but there is no use 
 in writing to The Times on the subject. It is, however, u'ri- 
 tating to the last degree to be surrounded by drummers, who 
 are sent to this part of the camp as a favourable spot for prac- 
 tice, and to be the unwilling auditor of first lessons on the bugle 
 and French horn. The French are indefatigable at this work. 
 Every one recoUects the three little drummers who are always 
 " dubbing" away like mad at Capecure, on that little spot 
 near the south pier of Boulogne. They are out here now, 
 multiplied exceedingly, and as active in elbow and wrist as ever. 
 It is a curious subject for the statist to ascertain when the
 
 396 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 French di-ummer is perfect in his art. As far as I can perceive, 
 he must he a tolerably elderly man before he leaves off practice, 
 and can only he enjoyed in perfection for a very brief period 
 before he retires from the service altogether. 
 
 The Kusslan keep iip a pertinacious fii"e on the town. The 
 reports of their guns shake my hut this fine day at the rate of 
 about two a-minute, and the sound is tolerably loud with this wind. 
 Sebastopol is a disagreeable place to go to on pleasui-e, for shot 
 and shell are continually lobbing along the streets, houses are 
 falling piecemeal, and the stones flying about from the shock of 
 cannon-balls. The casualties, however, are very few, and the 
 French have displayed great ingenuity in erecting comfortable 
 magazines and shops in out-of-the-way parts of the town, where 
 one can get a cup of coffee and a cigar without much danger. 
 But to the uninitiated the roar of a ball and the twittering hiss 
 of a shell fail to give zest to these luxuries. It is no longer an 
 occurrence of every week to go down to Sebastopol once or 
 twice, and few people resort to the docks unless they are on 
 duty, or have just come out, and are under the painful necessity 
 of going en amateur. The whole establishment of a cantiniere 
 went smash the other day through the operation of a shell, and, 
 although it was tolerably well filled, the only damage done was 
 to the poor proprietress, who lost her hand and an immense 
 amoimt of crockery, comestibles, and customers. The labours 
 of the Sappers and Miners have been very heavy to destroy the 
 docks in making the mines, and it is to be hoped they will 
 receive some extra reward for their laborious duties, which have 
 only begun with the end of the siege. The subaltern officers of 
 Engineers have just grounds of complaint at the way in which 
 the}' have been passed over. As they belong, like the Artillery, 
 to a branch of the service in which promotion is regulated by 
 senioritjs their rise is very slow, notwithstanding the heavy 
 losses of the corps dui'ing the siege, and, beuig below the rank 
 of captain, they cannot receive brevet rank. There is one 
 officer, Lieutenant Neville, R.E., who has been on duty in the 
 trenches imder fire upwards of one hundred times, and he is 
 Lieutenant Neville still, and I doubt not there are several others 
 in the same case. This is all the more galling when these 
 officers behold captains, in the line, of a couple of years' service, 
 and lieutenants, who were children when they entered the army, 
 rising rapidly in their regiments. It is all very well to say 
 that when these officers become captains they will no doubt get
 
 THE QUESTION OF REWARDS. 397 
 
 brevet rank, but that is small consolation for those who will 
 have years to wait for their promotion. To be valued, rewards 
 should be prompt, certain, and discriminative. Ours gene- 
 rally are slow, but by no means sure, and are generic in distri- 
 bution. Confessedly there were not more than 8000 and odd 
 hundred British soldiers at Inkevmann, of whom 2000 were 
 placed hors de combat. How many succumbed of the survivors 
 of that day in the winter of 185 1, and in the subsequent battles 
 of the trenches, I cannot say ; but it is not too much, when we 
 consider the condition to which the Guards, as well as several 
 other regiments, such as the 63rd, were reduced, to tix the 
 number entitled to the clasp under any discriminating rule, — 
 such as that the regiments should have been under fire or 
 engaged in support or reserve, — at GOOO men, and yet I under- 
 stand that not less than 16,000 clasps, with the word " Inker- 
 mann" upon each, were distributed to the army. There seems 
 at home to be a considerable ignorance of the locality of our 
 engagements, and of the regiments engaged in them, for we read 
 frequently of mistakes which could not be made if the facts were 
 known, such as a soldier of the 79th being wounded at Inker- 
 mann, or a sergeant of the 30th being present at Alma and 
 BulaJdaiHi. 
 
 The complaints respecting the indiscriminate profusion with 
 which clasps have been given are very general, and by no means 
 unjust. As to the Crimean medal. It merely means that " the 
 wearer has been in the Crimea," perhaps only for a few days, 
 during which he never left Balaklava. There are Instances of 
 officers, &c., nmning up from Constantinople expressly for the 
 purpose of putting in claims — v.-hlch have been allowed — for the 
 medal. Every one has it ; and I have seen " Alma," " Inker- 
 mann," " Balaklava," and " Sebastopol" clasps on breasts which 
 I knew to be as safe from shot and shell on those days, and 
 during the siege, as if they had been displaying white waist- 
 coats (are there such things in the world now ?) to the coryphees 
 of the opera — always excepting Alma, where there was, to be 
 sure, a little danger and excitement for everybody. There Is a 
 very general feeling indeed that some specific decoration should 
 be given for service in the trenches. Let some limit be fixed, 
 and let every man, it is " said," who has served during the 
 time, have some distmctlve decoration, if it be only a bit of tin 
 or a tenpenny nail. It is promised that something of the kind 
 will be done ; and we hear rumours of an Order of Merit of
 
 398 CAMP EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 Victoria, or of some other name ; but these delays create dis- 
 satisfaction. It is to he hoped that if an Order of Merit be 
 establislied, it will bear the name of the Queen in whose reign 
 it was instituted, and with the signification of whose royal 
 prcenomen it would so thoroughly harmonize. There is a strong 
 desire that bronze crosses should be prepared bearing inscriptions 
 relating to the number of bombardments, so that each man 
 .should bear a distinctive mark of the amount of trench-duty 
 he has done. When Kenealy, one of the privates of the 41st, 
 who entered the Eedan with Major-General Windham, was 
 asked whether he would have the 5Z. or a decoration, he replied 
 lie would much sooner have the latter; and this feeling is 
 shared by all good soldiers : whereas, the notion with the home 
 authorities seems to be, that money is more Avelcome to them 
 than anything else. 
 
 December 14. 
 The frost continues, and the thermometer marks 20° this 
 morning ; but there is a clear line sky and a bright sun above. 
 The mud is now a rigid furrowed lake, with iron waves cast up 
 by old cart-tracks and horses' hoofs, and the roads are crowded 
 and blocked up by the vast numbers of fourgons, carts, horses, 
 and pack animals so suddenly forced upon them. General Vinoy, 
 who has been raised to the rank of General of Division for the 
 all-important services he rendered at the capture of the Mala- 
 khoff, is also going to France to-morrow. Between this gallant 
 officer, so well known to the English army as General of the 
 First Brigade of Bosquet's Division, which was encamped for a 
 long time on the heights near Balaklava, and those English 
 generals who have been brought into contact with him, there 
 exists a marked good will and esteem ; and Sir Colin Campbell, 
 for one, will not forget the alacrity with which he turned out 
 his men to support the reconnaissance of February 20th, after the 
 intention had been abandoned at the French head-quarters, in 
 consequence of the snow-storm. We also owe to him the road 
 between Kadikoi and the lower ridge of the Col, past the cavalry 
 camp, called Vinoy's-road, which was of such service to us last 
 winter. For knowledge of his profession, inflexibility of pur- 
 pose, coolness, and daring, there are few officers who surpass 
 General Vinoy. He is yet in the full vigour of life, being 
 barely fifty years old, and if the war lasts, he is likely to play a 
 distinguished part in it.
 
 SCAIICITY OP NEWS. 39 D 
 
 CHAPTEH XLII. 
 
 DESTEUCTION OF THE DOCKS. 
 
 Division of the docks — Means taken to destroy thera — Au unfortunate 
 accident — Effect of the explosions — The Kussian fire — xiccidents — 
 Thorough destruction of the docks — Rumours of peace — An explosion 
 — The French complete the work of destruction — Quantity of powder 
 used — Destruction of Fort Alexander. 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol, January 1, 1856.* 
 There can hardly be a more perfect example of a sinecure 
 than the office of a newspaper correspondent in the camp before 
 Sebastopol at the present time. No man's occupation was ever 
 more completely gone. He may lay his pen upon the shelf with 
 a quiet conscience — nay, he must do so, unless he resign himself 
 to chronicle the small beer of the camp. As to finding anything 
 of importance to write about, it is out of the question, and, for 
 any present use that he is, your correspondent might almost as 
 well be spendmg his Christmas holidays at an English comitry- 
 house or on a Parisian boulevard. As to the Russians — pho ! 
 are there such people in the neighbourhood ? True, some signs 
 of them may be seen on yonder heights, and occasionally (of late 
 but rarely) the boom of a gun reminds us of their proximity. I 
 doubt if one man in a hundred of all in camp gives them a 
 thought. There seems little chance of their meddling with us 
 at present. With the ground in its present state, it would be 
 difficult to move artillery. Perhaps they, like their adversaries, 
 are doing their best to kill these long winter nights with private 
 theatricals, musical meetings, dinner parties, and glee clubs. 
 That they are as comfortably off as we are I greatly doubt — 
 better oft" they can hardly be. When we refer back to your 
 special correspondent's letters at this time last year, and consider 
 the many miseries there described, it is doubly gratifying to be 
 able to record that now health, abundance, and comfort reign 
 throughout the camp. The men are well clothed, well fed, 
 their quarters are as good as circumstances will permit, they 
 appear contented, and have every reason to be so. 
 
 The weather continues frosty, but not so severe as it was. Yf e 
 
 * This and the following letters to the date of Jlarch 22nd, were written 
 by a Colleague of Mr. llussell's during the latter gentleman's absence from 
 the Crimea.
 
 400 DESTRUCTION OP THE DOCKS. 
 
 have had white frosts the last two nights, and the sky loolcs very 
 like snow. 
 
 It is expected that the docks we have mined will be blown up 
 this week, but no day is as yet positively fixed. 
 
 January 28. 
 
 The destruction of the docks will, it is fully expected, bo com- 
 pleted this week. Only one of them, the westernmost, partly 
 retains its original aspect ; the others are mere chasms, almost 
 filled up with ruins. Although to most persons the general 
 aspect of these docks has probably become well-known from 
 descriptions and di-awings, I will briefly explain their position 
 and arrangement. They extend nearly due north and south (a 
 little to the east of north and west of south), and consist of three 
 inner docks, a basin and two outer docks, with a lock between 
 them. The French undertook the destruction of the outer 
 docks, the lock, and the northern half of the basin ; the 
 English that of the inner docks and the southern half of 
 the basin. The lock, although capacious, was easier to 
 destroy than a dock, its circumference being a plain stone wall, 
 instead of heavy stone steps fit for a giant's staircase. The 
 French have done their share of the work very effectually, and I 
 see nothing that remains for them to destroy. For various 
 reasons the English works were more gradual in their progress, 
 but have not been less thoroughly carried out, and, if a non-pro- 
 fessional, but highly-interested observer may express an opinion, 
 they do great credit to the scientific skill of the engineers to 
 whom they were intrusted. I believe the fii'st idea was to blow 
 up the whole at once, which would probably have given a more 
 picturesque appearance, and have produced a more thorough 
 ruin. 13ut this plan was abandoned by reason of the dampness 
 of the ground. Water Howed in from the ravine in the rear of 
 the docks, and rose in the shafts of the mines. It is probable 
 that, had the engineers waited to explode the numerous mines 
 until all of them were complete, the powder would have become 
 damp in many of them and Avould not have ignited ; so it was 
 resolved to blow np a little at a time. It is difficult for any 
 one who has not seen these docks both before and since their 
 destruction, fully to appreciate the magnitude of the operations, 
 and the force that must have been applied to root up and utterly 
 overthrow such massive constructions, such huge blocks of 
 granite so firmly cemented, such mighty timbers, which He 
 snapped asunder like reeds or rent into huge splinters. A stroll
 
 THE POWER OF POWDER. 401 
 
 about the environs of Sebastopol, and tlie sight of the enormous 
 cannon-balls and fragments of monster shells that strew the 
 ground in all directions, impress one with a respectful idea of 
 the power of powder ; but the respect is vastly increased by a 
 view of the havoc it has played in such stupendous works as the 
 docks — structures formed to last for ages, and to the duration of 
 which no limit could be assigned. The ditBculty of destruction 
 was enhanced in the case of the docks allotted to the English by 
 the fact that these were in part hewn out of solid rock. The 
 basin thus formed was lined with huge masses of stone, and 
 between rock and stone earth was filled in. The engineers 
 availed themselves of the soft interval for their mines, and blew 
 the walls and counterforts inwards, but the rock remains, mark- 
 ing in places the outline of the docks. The counterforts were 
 of prodigious strength and thickness. Then there was a deep 
 covered drain outside the docks, for the purpose of emptying 
 them when desired, of which the engineers, of course, made use. 
 Greatly incommoded at first by the water that flowed down the 
 ravine in their rear, they overcame this difficulty at no small 
 expense of labour. Their mode of operating against the docks 
 ■varied according to circumstances, but seems to have consisted 
 in a great measure of regular mines, with shaft and gallery. 
 Two of these shafts, down which I looked yesterday, are about 
 thirty feet deep. They are situated one on each side of the 
 western dock, and in one of them, which is at about fifty feet from 
 its entrance (between it and the centre dock), an unfortunate 
 accident occurred on Saturday last. The engineers had blown 
 up the eastern pier, or extremity of that side of the dock, to 
 which a gate is attached — one of the jaws of the dock, as I may 
 say, which are closed by the gates ; and this explosion seems to 
 have been as complete in its effect as any that have taken place. 
 The huge mass was lifted up and dislocated, and the enormous 
 transverse beams, masses of black timber of incalculable strength. 
 were torn from their fastenings, snapped in twain, and remained 
 with their splintered ends resting against each other, in the 
 shape of a house-roof. Below the pointed arch thus formed is a 
 black chasm, and heaped around are piles of displaced stone and 
 dusty ruins. Everything is removed and riven without being 
 scattered; and this is the object at which our engineers have 
 constantly aimed. They have sought all along, and generally 
 with much success, so to proportion the charges of their mines 
 that, while everything should be ovei'turned, rooted out, and 
 
 VOL. II. D D
 
 402 DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCKS. 
 
 ttrown into the ntmost coufusion (literally topsyturvy), as little 
 as possible should be thrown out of the crater. And accordingly 
 most of their explosions have not had the appearance which 
 wovild popularly be anticipated from the letting olf of two, three, 
 or more tliousand pounds of powder. There Vv^as no diverging 
 gush of stones, but a sort of rumbling convulsion of the ground ; 
 a few blocks and fragments were cast up to a moderate height, 
 but the effect upon the spectator was that of some gigantic sub- 
 teiTanean hand just pushing the masses a short distance out of 
 theii' places, tiu'ning them upside down, and rolling them over 
 each other in a cloud of smoke and dust. There were probably 
 two reasons for the care with which the engineers measured their 
 charges. One may be that by leaving the docks encumbered 
 and filled up with their own ruins they bequeath a harder task 
 to any future rebuilder than if they scattered the stone linings 
 far and wide, and left the chasms comparatively clear. The 
 second reason may be that by more violent explosions they would 
 probably have shaken down buildings, overthrown the dockyard 
 wall (which already totters and loses stones from its summit 
 when a mine is let off), and perhaps have caused accidents. As it 
 is, these operations have been the occasion of extremely little 
 loss of life or injury to limb. The Russians have fired a great 
 deal at times, but their shots have not told, and, although their 
 fii-e has been occasionally accurate enough, shell after shell fall- 
 ing into the docks, at others they have made very bad practice, 
 shells intended for the inner docks falling near the shears, or in 
 other directions wide of the mark. A couple of men of the 18th 
 Regiment were killed, a Sapper was wounded a few days ago, 
 not very severely, and I think there have been one or two other 
 men hurt. Of accidents occurring from the explosions I have 
 heard of none, except the one on Satmxlay last, referred to above, 
 and which was of a peculiar nature. The explosion by the 
 dock -gate had taken place, and some Sappers were busy at the 
 bottom of a shaft forty or fifty feet off, when a noxious gas, 
 generated by the explosion, entered the gallery, filtering 
 through the intervening earth. The effect was gradual — one 
 after another the men became giddy, and some of them insen- 
 sible. With infinite alacrity and courage non-commissioned 
 officers and soldiers descended the shaft, braving a danger which 
 seemed the greater because its extent and natm-e were unknown, 
 to succour their comrades, and as they got down they in turn 
 were overpowered by the ofiensive gas. Major Nicholson and
 
 MANNER OF DESTRUCTION. 403 
 
 Lieutenant Graham also went down, and suiFered in consequence. 
 The former was insensible, when, supported by his men, he 
 reached the top of the shaft, and it was some time before he 
 recovered. To sum up the accident ; one man perished, and 
 seven or eight were seriously aifected, but have since recovered. 
 A man went down into the mine, after the accident, holding in 
 his mouth the extremity of a tube down which air was pumped 
 to him, and he walked about with perfect impunity and collected 
 the men's caps and things they had left behind. The man who 
 died was a soldier of the 48th Regiment. Two surgeons were 
 on the spot, and tried every means to recover him, but in vain. 
 The destruction of the far-famed docks of Sebastopol, which 
 has been for some weeks in progress, and is now on the point of 
 termination, is an event in the annals of military engineering. 
 A regular diary of the operations has been kept by the officers 
 engaged, and this, should it ever be published, cannot fail to be 
 most interesting. War has stern necessities, but there is some- 
 thing lamentable in seeing such great and magnificent works as 
 these docks were, thus pitilessly destroyed. All that yesterday 
 afternoon remained (worthy of mention) was the walls of the 
 western dock, and their fragments ; before the week is out these 
 will be added to the mass of rubbish. It may give some idea 
 of the labour necessary to reconstruct these docks, to say that 
 after clearing away the ponderous ruins it would be necessary 
 to dig down some twenty feet below the original bottom — so 
 much has the earth been disturbed by the successive explosions 
 ^to drive piles and use concrete, and form an entu'ely new 
 foundation. The French explosion I mentioned in a recent 
 letter, as having been eifected by sinking in the water a huge 
 iron vessel full of powder, was intended to destroy the bottom 
 at one of the entrances, and appears to have succeeded better 
 than was supposed, a chasm eight feet deep having been ascer- 
 tained by sounding. The works of our Engineers have been 
 very successful and creditable to their skill and foresight. Few 
 mines, out of the large number that have been fired, failed to 
 explode. The strong report of immediate peace that prevailed 
 the other day caused the works to be accelerated by every pos- 
 sible means, and I understand that there was then a failure or 
 two. The operations must have been replete with valuable 
 experience to the officers engaged in them. 
 
 February 8. 
 
 The quantity of powder used the other day in the explosion 
 D D 2
 
 404 DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCKS. 
 
 of Fort Nicholas was 50,000 Idlogrammcs, or 100,000 French 
 pounds Double that quantity was found under the fort when 
 the engineers commenced their operations. This is not the only- 
 concealed store of powder the French have discovered in their 
 part of Sehastopol. The firing which the Russians kept up for 
 a short time previously to the explosion was di'awn on by a 
 French fatigue party getting wood from the houses in Se- 
 hastopol. Some of the soldiers imprudently showed themselves 
 upon the roofs, and the Russian batteries opened. At the 
 moment of the explosion an officer of rank in a green uniform, 
 supposed to be the general commanding on the north side, came 
 out of the Star Fort, and apparently ordered his men oti' the 
 parapet. He then stood looking on at the destruction of Fort 
 Nicholas. The intention was that all the mines should explode 
 simultaneously, and that they did not do so is attributable, as 
 I am informed, to some fault in the fuse — Beckford's fuse, 
 known among the French as le cordon Anglais. The eifect, 
 however, was very fine, and nothing could be more complete 
 than the destruction. Fort Alexander is shortly to be blown up, 
 and it is said the French will also destroy some of the principal 
 buildings. The English General Orders of yesterday announce 
 the completion of our share of the destruction of the docks. 
 Major Nicholson and Lieutenants (^raham and Gordon, who 
 were immediately in charge of these arduous works, and who 
 took up their residence in the Karabelnaia while they proceeded, 
 have returned to camp. There are still some small explosions 
 going on in the vicinity of the docks, and there is talk of 
 blowing up the revetment on the west side of the entrance, 
 and perhaps also the barracks. At present they are blowing up 
 houses, chiefly, as I believe, for the sake of experiment. Mr. 
 Deane, best known here as the " infernal diver," is not satis- 
 fied with the results obtained with his voltaic wires, which have 
 failed in several instances, and he is desirous to experimentalize 
 in order to discover where the fault lies. The operations against 
 the docks may be said to have commenced at the end of No- 
 vember, for, although a beginning was made at an earlier period, 
 the works were quickly suspended, and resumed only at the 
 above date. The French did their work in four explosions ; 
 the English had six, besides minor ones of small extent. You 
 are perhaps already aware that a number of the original plans, 
 sectional and others, used by the constructor of the docks, were 
 found in Sehastopol, and have been of great use to the engineers
 
 FORT ALEXANDER DESTROYED, 405 
 
 in tlicir work of demolition. These plans, now soiled and torn, 
 are very neatly drawn and coloured. 
 
 Fehniary 11. 
 
 The sole incident that has occurred here since my letter of 
 the 9th is the destruction of Fort Alexander, which was blown 
 up, in three explosions, at 1 o'clock this afternoon. The de- 
 struction was very complete, but the place does not look such a 
 perfect level as the site of Fort Nicholas, and the sea face has 
 been intentionally left standing. The explosions were the 
 loudest we have heard this year, especially the first of the three. 
 The day was dry, but not bright, and the absence of sun de- 
 tracted from the striking nature of the spectacle, which was, 
 however, sufficiently imposing, but not equal to that of Fort 
 Nicholas's downfall. Notwithstanding the distance, the ex- 
 plosions sounded very loud up in camp, and persons who were 
 well in the rear of Cathcart's-hill assure me that they felt the 
 ground tremble, and that the huts they were in seemed to rock. 
 The Russians, who had been firing a little from the Inkermann 
 Batteries just before the fort blew up, were pei-fectly silent for 
 some time after the explosion, apparently thinking it more dig- 
 nified calmly to contemplate the destruction of their fortresses 
 than to exhibit impotent wrath and unprofitably to expend their 
 ammunition. At a later period of the day they fii'ed more than 
 usual from the north side. In the Karabelnaia our engineers 
 continue to amuse themselves, and small explosions are not 
 unfrequent. This afternoon the White Buildings, as they are 
 generally called, adjoining the dockyard, were partly on fire. 
 
 February 25. 
 The bayonets of forty-six British battalions bristled yesterday 
 upon Telegraph-hill, an elevated ridge of the plateau, overlooking 
 the valley of the Tchernaya. 25,000 infantry were there as- 
 sembled for inspection and review by the Commander-in-Chief. 
 The morning was so cold, that some who impatiently awaited the 
 spectacle feared it would be again postponed, but the earth and 
 air were dry, and after church service the divisions were seen 
 marching from their camps in the direction of the parade- 
 ground, where numerous spectators soon began to assemble. A 
 better piece of ground could hardly be selected for either a 
 training gallop or the review of an army. The soil was firm 
 without hardness, and afforded pleasant and elastic footing to 
 the gathermg legions and to the horses of curious and interested
 
 40G DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCKS, 
 
 gazers. As the troops inai'ched up, the pioneers busied them- 
 selves with filling the small circulai- trenches where tents had 
 formerly stood; and, when the review was over, the whole 
 surface had been trodden by hoof and foot as level as a bowling- 
 green. The wind blow keenly from the north, and it was sharp 
 worlv for faces, feet, and fingers upon Telegraph-liill that day. 
 The pedestrians had perhaps the best of it, for they could keep 
 up the circulation by exercise, while half- frozen horsemen were 
 clattering their boots against the stirrup irons in vain attempts 
 to restore sensation to their benumbed feet. Cold, however, 
 was soon forgotten in the animation and interest of the scene. 
 Even before the troops had formed their line there was much 
 to amuse the observer in the fast increasing throng of idlers. 
 Those English otficers, of various arms and departments, whom 
 duty did not call out or keep in, flocked in huudi-eds to witness 
 the first review of a larger number of British troops than has 
 been held for forty years. I should think very few were absent 
 whom duty or illness did not detain m camp, and one officer, 
 the Hon. Percy Fieldhig, still suffering from a severe accident 
 which occurred to him some weeks ago, was driven to the 
 ground in a cart. There were a great many artillery oflacers, a 
 very few of cavahy, a multitude of commissariat and medical 
 officers, Army Works Corps, &c., some in full dress, some in 
 undress, many in nondescript attire. The foreigners also mus- 
 tered in great strength. There was every variety of French 
 and Sarduiian military costume, and even the Spanish uniforai 
 was there, to augment the motley of the gathering, four officers 
 of that nation being attached to the French head-quarters. 
 Marshal Pelissier came on the ground in his carriage and four, 
 by which is not to be understood a handsome vehicle and showy 
 team, with well-kept harness and neat postillions — but a very 
 rough, nearly paintless, Crimean-looking drag, with harness 
 partly of rope, horses that match the carriage as regards 
 roughness, and soldiers in artillery saddles, on the near wheeler 
 and leader. The Marshal is somewhat obese, and not much of 
 an equestrian, and he rarely crosses a horse. His little escort 
 of Chasseurs contrasted with the English Hussars who followed 
 Sir William Codrington and kept the ground, and many of 
 wliom, as regarded both men and horses, needed only some 
 slight changes in uniform and equipment to become extremely 
 heavy cavalry. Mai-shal Pelissier alighted from his carriage, 
 and took his station at the foot of a hillock, opposite the centre
 
 REVIEW OP ENGLISH TROOPS. 407 
 
 of the line, of the whole of which he then commanded a good 
 view. The array of the troops was nearly completed Avheu a 
 shell, sent in their direction, was seen to burst high in the aii' 
 above the valley of the Tchernaya. Our Russian friends politely 
 informed us that they were present and attentive, reckoning 
 that we should see their messenger, though they could not 
 expect him to reach us. 
 
 The line was formed of continuous columns of companies, 
 that is to say, it was eight companies or sixteen rank and file 
 deep, with intervals of six paces between each regiment. Its 
 face was towards the Russian positions beyond the valley. On 
 the right were the Guards and the other regiments forming the 
 Krst Division ; then came the Highlanders ; then the Second, 
 Thii-d, and Foiu'th ; and finally the Light Division. Do^vn 
 this imposing and massive line, brilliant with scarlet and 
 fringed with steel. General Codringtou rode, followed by his 
 staff and by a large number of English and foreign officers. 
 Hussar sentries at first attempted to keep mere spectators at a 
 certain distance from the front of the ai-my, but, amidst the 
 perplexing variety of costumes, it was impossible for them to 
 tell T\^ho had or who had not a right to join the General's 
 cortege, and soon the whole mass of horsemen swept after him 
 down the line. When the inspection was completed, he took up 
 his station in front, and to the right of the knoll where Marshal 
 Pelissier was posted, and the troops marched past in open 
 column, each General of Division posting himself beside Gene- 
 ral Codi-ington during its passage. As soon as the band of each 
 brigade arrived opposite the General it faced to the left, cleared 
 the line of march, fronted, and played until its brigade had 
 completely gone by, when it followed in rear, and its place was 
 taken by the next band. These bands were formed by au 
 amalgamation of the regimental bands, and some of them 
 played veiy well, but generally speaking their music was iU- 
 chosen and bad. The Guards came by, of course with their 
 own favourite tune, the British Grenadiers ; the pipes of the 
 Highlanders squaked, squealed, and droned forth that strange 
 combination of sounds so dear to Scotch ears, and so discordant 
 to those of Saxon or Gaul ; and one brigade played Partant 
 pour la Sj/rie, in compliment to Marshal Pelissier and the 
 French present. The second brigade of the Fom-th Division 
 had one of the best bands, and played a spirited march, but, 
 generally speaking, the music of this army has not recovered
 
 408 DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCKS. 
 
 the losses of the war. The troops marched past in front of the 
 ground on which they had just stood in line, and its nature was 
 liighlj' favourable to the elfect of the movement, for there was a 
 sliglit slope downwards, commencing at the spot Avhere the 
 head of the column wheeled to the left and began its direct 
 march towards the Generals, in whose immediate vicinity v/ere 
 to be seen Sir Colin Campbell, Admiral Freemantle, General 
 Windham, and a large number of officers of rank — French, Sar- 
 dinian, and English — the staff of all these composing a nume- 
 rous and brilliant throng. The morning had been grey and 
 dull lip to the commencement of the review, but the clouds 
 then grew thinner and dispersed a little, and a few fitful gleams 
 of sunshine shone upon Britain's legions as they descended the 
 slope in most perfect order, a broad steady torrent of bayonets, 
 not rapid, but irresistible. A finer military sight could hardly 
 be seen in peace time than was presented by that matchless in- 
 fantry. The healthy appearance of the men testified to good 
 keep and much care taken of them ; their soldierly carriage and 
 perfect dressing proved that their officers had profited hj the 
 unusually fine and open winter to hasten the military education 
 of the numerous recruits. Where all were worthy of praise, it 
 were invidious to point out any as particularly deserving it. 
 Of course there were difi'erences and degrees, and some regiments 
 which have suffered much in the war, and consequently have 
 very few old soldiers left, cannot be expected to look as well or 
 to be as good as others that either came out when the campaign 
 was nearly over, or have had little fighting and no hardship 
 since their arrival. The Guards looked as usual, military and 
 imposing in their lofty bearskins ; the Highlanders were magni- 
 ficently picturesque, and reminded one, by their statue-like im- 
 mobility in the ranks, by their stern veteran aspect and lofty 
 stature, of Vernet's pictures of the Vieille Garde on parade. 
 They were the admiration of the foreigners present, and well 
 they might be, for assuredly no finer troops ever fixed bayonet. 
 The battalions of Rifles were also much praised by the foreign 
 officers, their fiishion of carrying their arms trailed instead of 
 shouldered, giving a graceful ease and suppleness to their march. 
 Many were the tattered and shot-rent banners yesterday borne 
 by. The colours of the 23rd Fusiliers were like a sieve,, 
 pierced with countless bullets, and telling the eloquent and 
 bloody tale of the Alma and of Inkermann. Those of the 77th 
 and 97th were much riddled, and so were those of many other
 
 FINE APPEARANCE OF THE MEN. 409 
 
 brave regiments, some of which were fuin to keep their banners 
 furled, their torn condition not allowing of their display to the 
 breeze. The whole of the troops having marched past in open 
 column, formed up at some distance to the north of Telegraph- 
 hill, on lower ground, nearer to the camp, and thither General 
 Codrington now proceeded, followed, of course, by everybody 
 present. People were chilled with sitting still on their horses, 
 and delighted to get a canter ; the ground was good, the air 
 fresh, the opportunity tempting, and away went high mettled 
 English chargers, fleet Arabs, and tough Turkish and Tartar 
 ponies at a smart pace. The field was a large one, and two or 
 three small ditches towards the end of the course gave anima- 
 tion to the chase, until at last the General was run to earth, 
 liard by where sat the French Marshal in his carriage, and aU 
 pulled up to witness the second defile, which was in close 
 column. After this the divisions marched straight away to 
 their various camps, and the country on all sides was seen 
 thickly sprinkled with horsemen cantering homewards, bent in 
 most cases, I suspect, on taking to themselves something of a 
 warming nature, for the cold had really been sharp, and no 
 speculative canteenman had thought of sending emissaries with 
 well-lined baskets to the scene of the review. When all was 
 over. Marshal Pelissier went up to General Codrington, and, as 
 I am informed, complimented him in the highest terms on the 
 appearance of his troops. It is impossible but that he should 
 be greatly struck by it. The numbers on parade would have 
 been considerably larger had the whole of our effective infantry 
 turned out, but General Warren's brigade, stationed at Bala- 
 klava, was not ordered up, neither were the 72nd Highlanders and 
 the two battalions of the 1st Roj'als, which are encamped some- 
 way beyond Kamara ; and then there was the garrison of Seba- 
 stopol, and the Redan picket, camp guards, &c. ; so that, alto- 
 gether, there were many battalions, and parts of battalions stiU 
 absent. It was purely an infantry review — no artillery was 
 there, nor any cavalry, save the handful of Hussars employed in 
 escorting the General and keeping the ground. The whole 
 affair Avent off in a most satisfactory and soldierlike way. I 
 did not remark nor have I heard of a single blunder, and 
 General Codrington had every reason to be proud of the army 
 he has the honour to command.
 
 410 THE ARMISTICE IN THE CRIJIEA. 
 
 CHAPTER XLin. 
 
 THE ARMISTICE 1^ THE CRIMEA. 
 
 Arrival of tlic news — IMore explosions — Terms of the armistice settled — 
 A fraternization — Barter — Attempts to peneti-ate into the country — 
 Termination of the interview — Appearance of tlie llussians — The Wliite 
 Buildings destroyed — Death of an officer at the explosion — The con- 
 ditions of the armistice settled. 
 
 Camp before SEBASToroi., Fehi-tiary 2S. 
 This morning brought us news of the conclusion of an 
 armistice. The Eussians had it first, by telegraph from St. 
 Petersburg. At 8 a.m. a boat, bearing a flag of truce, put off 
 from the north side, and was met half-way across the harbour 
 by one from 'the French. The Russians brought a communi- 
 cation of the armistice from General Liiders, and the mail from 
 Constantinople, which arrived early to-day, brought its con- 
 firmation to the allies. To-morrow morning, at 10 o'clock, 
 there is to be a meeting of the Russian and allied officers at 
 Taktir-bridge, to an'ange the details of the truce. It is be- 
 lieved that this will amount to vei'y little more than a cessation 
 of fire, and that a line of demarcation will be drawn midway 
 between the advanced posts, which will limit walks, rides, 
 shooting parties, &c. People here seem generally well pleased 
 that the suspension of arms is to be only until the 31st of 
 March. Previously to that date little could be done in the way 
 of militarj' operations. Meanwhile, and as if to celebrate the 
 armistice, the so-called White Bnildmgs were blown up this 
 afternoon. It became known in the com-se of the morning that 
 the explosion was fixed for half-past three ; and that the brig in 
 the Dockyard Creek was also to be blown up, by way of expe- 
 riment, and for the particular gratification of Mr. Deane, " the 
 infernal diver." Soon after three o'clock, spectators began to 
 assemble at the Redan, in front of Picket-house-hill, on 
 Cathcart's-hill, and m other commanding positions. There was 
 not a very strong muster at any of these places, for we are 
 rather blase in the matter of explosions ; and, although the day 
 was bright and sunny, the ground was very heavy with mud 
 and snow, and the cold too sharp to be pleasant. There was a 
 certain amount of snowballing among the pedestrians, which 
 doubtless contributed to keep up a supply of caloric, and one
 
 WAITING FOK THE EXPLOSION. 411 
 
 or two base attacks were made upon unfortunate equestrians, 
 who, not having snow within their reach, or a supply of ready- 
 made snowballs in their pockets, had no choice but to charge 
 their assailants or resort to ignominious flight. The majority 
 of the horsemen sat ruefully awaiting the blow up ; a canter for 
 wai-mth would have been desirable, but the ground was most 
 unfavoui-able — deep and spread with a sheet of snow, concealing 
 holes. Half-an-hour passed; feet were very cold, noses very 
 blue, fingers hardly felt the reins, grumbling was heard : " It 
 is nearly four o'clock; why the deuce doesn't it go off?" 
 Patience is, I fear, not a very common virtue in the Crimean 
 army. An impromptu " shave," suggested by the ciicum- 
 stances of the moment, was passed about. " Pelissier is 
 coming; they wait for him." Now, it so happened that 
 Pelissier was not coming. The armistice gives him something 
 to do and think of, and moreover, he came a few days ago, it 
 having been notified to him that the Wliite Buildings were 
 then to be blo%vn up, but were not. So he no longer put his 
 faith in the unpunctual engineers of perfidious Albion, but 
 stayed away. Some French and other foreign ofiicers came ; 
 some of them were in the Eedan, and others, who came from 
 the French head-quarters, were on the slope in front of Picket- 
 house-hill, just over the ravine, waiting patiently and con- 
 fidingly. Another half-hour passed. A quarter-past four, and 
 no explosion. Strong language began to be used ; wishes Avere 
 uttered whose fulfilment would certainly not be desired by the 
 engineers, at whose door, rightly or wrongly, the delay was 
 laid. The third half-hour had not quite elapsed when a report 
 spread that the explosion was put off. According to some 
 accounts, it would occur in an hour and a-half ; according to 
 others, to-morrow, while a third party talked of next Aveek ; and 
 there was a general movement campwards. A few Ai'tilleiy 
 ofiicers still stuck to the Eedan ; Picket-house-hill was quickly 
 cleared, except of one or two obstinate expectants, and Cathcart's- 
 hill was abandoned by many ; when, behold ! j ust at a quarter 
 to five, when few of the weary who had departed could have 
 reached theii' quarters, and some could have been but a hundred 
 or two yards on the wrong side of the hill-crests, out gushed a 
 small pufi' of white smoke from the White Buildings, then a big 
 pufi* of black smoke ; there was a slight explosion, a grumbling 
 roar ; stones were hm'led into the air and pitched high over the 
 eastern wall into the docks, and then, after a silence which
 
 412 THE ARiMISTICE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 seemed to last nearly a minute, came a series of pops and puffs 
 as the mines went off in rapid succession, and an immense 
 volume of smoke appeared, not in dense sluggish masses slowly 
 surging up, as at the explosion of Fort Nicholas, but in a 
 thinner cloud, which rose so liigh that the summit of the murky 
 column was visible over Picket-house-hill to persons some way 
 down the Woronzoil'-road, where it passes through the Light 
 Division camp. When the smoke cleared off, the damage did 
 not appear so great as was expected. The walls of the buildings 
 still stood, except the north-east corner. Doubtless the inside 
 had suffered, and, indeed, there were appearances indicating that 
 much damage had been done. Later, at about a quarter to six, 
 when it was supposed that all was over, and everybody had 
 abandoned the points of observation, another series of explosions 
 was heard. Of these I have not yet ascertained the effect. 
 After the explosion of the buildings. Fort Constantine sent a 
 solitary shell into the French side, so I suppose the armistice is 
 not considered to be perfect until after to-morrow's conference. 
 
 Fdjruary 29. 
 There was a lively and novel scene at 10 o'clock this morning 
 at Traktir-bridge. At its further end the white flag was hoisted, 
 and just beyond it some live and twenty Cossacks halted, who 
 had escorted thither the Eussian General Timoiefl' and his staff. 
 The Generals, M'ho had met to arrange the details of the 
 armistice, occupied two tents, pitched on a strip of greensward 
 in the rear of the bridge. At a few minutes past ten General 
 Barnard and some Staff officers rode down through the ravine 
 between the two hills on which the battle of the Tchernaya was 
 fought, and crossed to the other side of the river. There were, 
 perhaps, half-a-dozen other English officers, about as many 
 French, and a much larger number of Sardinians. All these 
 went over the bridge, and a sort of fraternization ensued be- 
 tween them and some Russian officers — that is to say, there was 
 a good deal of civility, and some ill-treatment of the French and 
 German languages ; but, as to carrying on nmch conversation 
 with our Muscovite friends, it was not an easy matter, for there 
 seemed a mutual embarrassment as to what subject to pitch 
 upon. Horses were a natural theme, and the Russians expressed 
 much admiration of some of those present, and were probably 
 rather astonished at their good condition. Rut the great object 
 of curiosity to us was the fur-capped Cossacks, around whom
 
 MEETING BETWEEN THE RIVAL FORCES. 413 
 
 the .illicd officers assembled, examining their arms and equip- 
 ments and entering into conversation, whicli, in most cases, was 
 carried on by signs. They were slender, wiry men, — ugly 
 enough, most of them, — mounted on small, rough, active horses, 
 and carrying, besides sword and carbine, flagless lances, whose 
 long black poles terminated in a small but very sharp-pointed 
 steel head. They seemed well pleased to cultivate the ac- 
 quaintance of their enemies, and also had evidently an eye to 
 the main chance. One of the first things I saw was a Cossack 
 corporal proposing a barter to a Sardinian officer. The latter 
 had a tolerably good riding-whip, for which the astute child of 
 the Don insisted on swapping a shabby sort of instrument of 
 torture, of whicli his pony is doubtless rejoiced to be rid. The 
 Sardinian hesitated, the Cossack persisted, and the exchange 
 was effected, the officer looking, as I thought, rather ruefully 
 after his departed cravache, and somewhat contemptuously at 
 the shabby but characteristic stick and thong he had received 
 for it. The signal thus given, the whip trade soon acquired 
 great activity. Probably some of the officers present were 
 ready enough to part with a tolerably good whip for a bad 
 Cossack one, as a souvenir of the day's proceedings and of the 
 commencement of the armistice. It had been expected that 
 videttes would be placed, and that very little freedom of inter- 
 course would be allowed beyond the bridge of Traktir, and 
 people at first thought themselves fortunate in getting over 
 the bridge and having a good view of the Cossacks and a chat 
 with some stray Russian officer. Presently, however, as the 
 morning, which had previously been cold and raw, advanced, 
 and the sun shone bright and warm, and the dry, grassy, and 
 shrub-grown plain of the Tchernaya looked tempting for a 
 canter, officers began to get restless, and to move away from 
 the bridge across a small stream or ditch, and up a strip of 
 level ground leading to a sort of monument, a square pedestal 
 of rough stones surmounted by a dwarf pillar, of no particular 
 order of architecture, and concerning whose origin and object the 
 Russians, of whom inquiry was made, could say nothing. Some 
 more Sardinian and French officers had by this time come down, 
 but, besides those engaged in the conference and attached to Ge- 
 neral Windham's staff', T do not think there were a dozen English 
 officers on the ground. The general disposition of all seemed 
 to be to move outwards in the direction of the Russian lines. 
 People did not know how far they might go, and accordingly
 
 414 THE ARMISTICE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 felt their way, cantering across a bit of level ground, and up a 
 hill, and then pausing to look about them and reconnoitre the 
 country and see whether there v/as any sign of obstacles to fur- 
 ther progress. The soil was of a lighter and more sandy nature 
 than it generally is found to be within oiu- lines ; in some places 
 it was rather thickly sprinkled with bushes, saplings, and tall 
 weeds. Several brace of red-legged partridges were sprung, 
 some of them so near our horses' feet that a hunting-whip 
 would have reached them. As the morning advanced, the field 
 grew larger. A French General was there with his Staff and 
 several French Hussar officers. Numbers of Sardinians came, 
 but the English were detained in camp by a muster parade, and 
 many also had been misinformed that the meeting of the Generals 
 was not to take place until twelve or one. By this time we were 
 getting far on towai'ds the Russian lines and batteries, when the 
 field began to spread out, some taking to the right, and getting 
 very near to a Cossack vidette, who seemed rather puzzled to 
 accomit for the presence of so many strange horsemen within 
 musket-shot of his post, and who, after once or twice beginning 
 to circle in sigTial of an enemy's approach, received a reinforce- 
 ment in the shape of another Cossack, who rode down the hill 
 as if to warn the intruders oft' forbidden ground. Another 
 party of gallopers went close up to the battery known as No. 
 49, and held communion with some videttes, with whom they 
 smoked an amicable cigarette, until a Russian officer came up 
 and politely informed them in French that his orders were to 
 allow no one to come any further, and that he hoped they would 
 retire, which they of course did. More to the left a numerous 
 body of horsemen, followed by a straggling array of Zouaves, 
 Chasseurs, Bersaglieri, and other infantry soldiers, who had 
 made their way to the ground, rode up to the ridge just below 
 the spur of the hill to the south-east of Inkermann. Here they 
 were very near the Russian pickets, and within particularly con- 
 venient shot of various batteries, had these thought proper to 
 open, and there most of them paused, for to go further really 
 looked like abusing the good-nature of the enemy, who thus 
 allowed us to profit by the conference to enjoy a ride further 
 into the Russian territory than any one has been since this 
 camp was formed, and to take a near view of their positions and 
 defences. Only half-a-dozen adventurous and inquisitive spirits 
 pushed ahead, and seemed as if they intended charging a Rus- 
 sian battery, and the videttes began to move uncasil}^ about in
 
 THE GENERALS IN CONFERENCE. 415 
 
 this direction also, -when up came a Sardinian Staff officer at full 
 speed, his blue plume streaming- in the wind, and gave chase to 
 the forward gentlemen, shouting to them to return. They, see- 
 ing themselves thus cut off iir the rear, and perhaps to avoid a 
 rebuke, made a retrograde flank movement, escaped their pur- 
 suer, and rejoined the main body ; and, as orders were now 
 given that no one should go further, a return towards the 
 bridge became pretty general. The horses, long accustomed to 
 sink to the fetlock in hoiTid Balaklavan and Sebastopolian mire, 
 seemed to enjoy the change to the firm, springy turf beyond the 
 Tchernaya ; more partridges were sprung, to the immense tanta- 
 lization of some there present, who would have given a month's 
 pay for a day's shooting over such ground ; some hares were 
 also started, and one of them was vigorously pursued by a sub- 
 altern of a sporting turn, whose baggage pony, however, was 
 soon left far in rear by puss's active bounds. On reaching the 
 bridge a halt was again called round the group of Cossacks, and 
 all eyes were fixed on the two neat blue and Avhite-striped tents, 
 with awnings over their entrances. Some of the Generals were 
 standing outside, and it was evident that the conference was 
 drawing to a close. A short delay ensued, which I perceived 
 that the Cossack corporal availed himself of to exchange his 
 Sardinian whip for a much better French one, the receiver of 
 the former doubtless imagining he had secured a genuine Rus- 
 sian article. Then cocked hats and feathers were seen moving 
 among the horses near the tents ; orderlies and escorts mounted ; 
 the Cossacks did the same, and presently English, French, Sar- 
 dinian, and Eussian Generals and Staff rode over the bridge 
 and between a double line formed by the spectators. General 
 Timoieff, a soldierly-looking man of agreeable physiognomy, 
 rode first, and smilingly returned the salutes with which he 
 was received. General Windham was close beside him, a little 
 in rear. There was an escort of French Chasseurs-a-cheval 
 and a small one of the 11th Hussars, and the big horses and 
 tall, well-fed men of the latter strikingly contrasted with the 
 puny, although hardy steeds, and with the meagre frames of the 
 Cossacks, who seemed to regard them with some wonderment, 
 while the Hussars glanced at them as if they thought that one 
 squadron of theirs would have an easy bargain of half a dozen 
 sotnias of such antagonists. The cortege proceeded a short 
 distance into the plain, and then the allied portion of it took 
 leave of " nos amis les ennemis," and retraced their steps
 
 41 G THE ARMISTICE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 to the bridge. They had passed ovei' it, and the crowd of 
 spectators was following, when they were met by a throng of 
 officers from the English camp, coming down to see the fun, 
 which, unfortunately, was over. Nevertheless, they were press- 
 ing forward across the bridge, and would doubtless, had they 
 been allowed, have ridden up to the Bilboquet battery, or across 
 to Mackenzie's Farm — for it is an axiom out here that nothing 
 will stop an English infentry officer, mounted on his favourite 
 baggager ; but a French Staff captain, seeing what was likely 
 to ensue, ordered the sentries to allow no one to cross the 
 bridge. As we rode up the ravine between the two mamelons, 
 which witnessed such sharp fighting on the 17th of August last, 
 we met scores more of English officers coming down, only to be 
 turned back. There were still a great number of the allied 
 officers and soldiers scattered over the valley, but doubtless they 
 will all have returned to our lines without annoyance, judging 
 from the indulgence and courtesy shown throughout the morn- 
 ing by the Russians to ramblers somewhat beyond bounds. 
 
 The General Officers who met to-day were — General Timoieff, 
 Chief of the Staff of the 4th Corps of the Russian army, which is in 
 front and furnishes the advanced posts ; Generals de Martimprey 
 and Windham and Colonel Count Petitti, Chiefs of the Staffs of 
 the French, English, and Sardinian armies. The three latter 
 were deputed by their Generals-in-Chief to present the proposals 
 of armistice which these had discussed and decided upon. Their 
 mission extended no further, and General Timoieff, not being 
 authorized to accept those proposals without referring them to 
 his General-in-Chief, merely took a copy of them, which he will 
 transmit to General Liiders, who is said to be now close at liand. 
 It is probable, therefore, that there will be another interview 
 for the definitive arrangement of the terms. 
 
 Altogether, there were a good immber of Russian officers at 
 and near Traktir-bridge to-day. Some of them were strolling 
 by twos and threes in the field, at a short distance beyond, and 
 when these were descried there was usually a regular charge 
 down upon them by the allied officers, eager to make their 
 acquaintance. Their manner was generally grave and rather 
 reserved, but they conversed readily, and all had the tone and 
 appearance of well-bred men. Some of them were very young. 
 There was one youth of eighteen , who named to us the regiment 
 of Hussars in which he was an officer, and seemed knowing about 
 horses, pointing out the English ones from among the French,
 
 THE KXPLOSIOX IN THE WHITE AVOltKS. 117 
 
 Italians, and Arabs tliat stood around. All — cavahy as well as 
 infantry, and the General and liis Stall' — wore the long unilbrni 
 great-coat of a sort of brown and grey mixture, and seemed to 
 have no other insignia of rank than the different colours and 
 lace of the shoulder-strap. There was also a difference of fine- 
 ness in the cloth of their coats from that of the soldiers, but this 
 at a very short distance was not apparent. The Stalf wore 
 white kid gloves, and I noticed some of them with smart patent 
 leather boots — elegancies rarely seen in our part of the Crimea. 
 
 To return to yesterday's explosions : — The White Buildings 
 blown up were formeidy barracks, and form the north and west 
 sides of a square, whose third side is merely a wall. Within this 
 square (to which the fourth side is wanting) were buildings of 
 minor importance — among them one surmounted by a clock- 
 tower. The intention was, as I understand, to blow up the 
 buildings, but to leave the outer walls standing, so as to mask 
 the operations of any workmen or fatigue parties that might 
 afterwards be employed inside. The buildings being very ex- 
 tensive, a large number of mines were prepared, but it appears 
 that the snow-water filtered in and damped some of the charges. 
 I have not heard the cause of the delay in the first explosion, 
 but the interval between the two ai'ose from accidents having 
 happened to the fuses. Parts of the inner wall of the building 
 still remain. Some of the buildings in the centre of the square 
 have been overthrown ; among others, the clock-tower, which 
 yesterday morning was a conspicuous object, was levelled with 
 the dust by one of the second series of explosions. As far as 
 the explosions took place, I believe their result to have been 
 satisfactory ; but there is by no means that clean sweep and 
 total downfall of the whole of the buildings which was an- 
 ticipated, and which we now learn was, for the reason above 
 assigned, never intended. Mr. Deane's experiment with the 
 brig failed ; the reason why has yet to be ascertained. It is 
 said that Mr. Deane attributes his occasional failures to the 
 state of the wires, which have been patched and joined, and are 
 no longer to be implicitly relied upon. He appears to be inde- 
 fatigable in his endeavours to overcome difficulties and perfect 
 his apparatus. 
 
 It is with the sincerest regret that I record the death of a 
 most amiable j'oung man and gallant officer — Major George 
 Ranken, of the Royal Engineers, who was killed in the zealous 
 discharge of his duty at the explosion of the White Buildings 
 
 VOL. II. E E
 
 418 THE ARMISTICE IX THE CRIMEA. 
 
 on Thursday evening last. The accident occurred at the south- 
 western corner of the edifice, and has been related to me as 
 follows : — A mine having failed to explode, and some minutes 
 having elapsed. Major Kanken sent his men to a distance and 
 himself entered the place to renew the train, scattering loose 
 powder over it. From the position in which his corpse was 
 found it is supposed that he had completed his perilous task, 
 and was about getting through a window when the explosion 
 took place and the building fell in. His arm was broken, and 
 there were injuries to the skull and spine which must have occa- 
 sioned instant death. Army Works Corps men dug for his 
 body until midnight on Thursday ; they were then relieved by 
 Sappers. The body was not extricated until past eight o'clock 
 on Friday morning. The unfortianate officer was buried yester- 
 day, with military honours, at the Engineers' Cemetery, Left 
 Attack. He was followed to the grave by General Ej^re, com- 
 manding the Third Division ; by Colonel Lloyd, commanding 
 the Eoyal Engineers ; and b}" a large number of officers of his 
 own corps and of other arms. Major Ranken, as you will 
 doubtless remember, commanded the ladder party in the attack 
 on the Redan. He was a most promising officer, a great favourite 
 with his comrades, and his loss is deplored by all who knew 
 him. It was hard to have escaped the murderous fire of the 
 8th of October only to die, less than five months later, crushed 
 beneath a shattered wall. If peace be now definitively made, 
 Major Ranken will perhaps have the melancholy distinction of 
 being the last Englishman killed in the Crimea. The last 
 Frenchman killed here, up to this date, fell in a duel. Two 
 French officers, who have gone through the whole war un- 
 wounded, quarrelled the other day, and fought Avith sabres ; one 
 was killed, and the other was so badly hurt that he is not 
 expected to live. 
 
 The White Buildings destroj'cd on Thursday were very 
 extensive. One side of the square was 1200 feet long, the 
 other GOO. Altogether about 1900 feet of wall were blowrt 
 down. Six bomb-proof powder magazines behind the clock tower 
 were destroyed. I am assured tliere were no less than 374 
 mines, the charges varying in quantity from 2|lb. to 3001b. of 
 powder. 
 
 March 11. 
 
 At one this afternoon the staff of the allied and Russian 
 armies again met at Traktir-bridge — this time to sign the con-
 
 AVOUK OF DESTRUCTION. 419 
 
 ditions of tlie armistice, which have been finally agreed to, the 
 Eussians having, as I am informed, shown themselves tolerably 
 pliant. The day was raw, dull, and disagreeable, with a sharp 
 northerly breeze blowing, but nevertheless a considerable number 
 of English, French, and Sardinian officers found their way to 
 the bridge, doubtless in hopes of a repetition of the canter of 
 the 29th of Februaiy ; but if that was the bait that lured them 
 there they were completely disappointed. This time there w^as 
 no scouring the plain and gossiping with videttes ; the aqueduct 
 was the limit, observance oi' v/hich was enforced by a chain of 
 Zouave sentries patrolling to and fro. A Kussian picket was 
 stationed at about rifle shot distance beyond the river, along the 
 further bank of which Cossack and Dragoon videttes were posted 
 at short intervals. There was more variety in the Russian troops 
 this time than last ; some of the cavalry were in scarlet, and 
 others in light blue, and some wore the grey great-coat. There 
 was nothing else of any interest to observe, and most of the 
 persons whom curiosity had led to the spot soon gi'ew tired of 
 standing at the edge of a ditch, and gazing at a distant handful 
 of Muscovites ; so they turned their horses, and tried to warm 
 themselves hj a canter back to the camp. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 Complete destruction of the city — Assemblies at the Tehcniaya — Knssian 
 soldiers — Their dre?s — The systemcf purchase considered — The resting- 
 place of the brave. 
 
 Camp before .Sebastofol, March 22. 
 For the last week our armj^ has been cultivating its tastes for 
 the drama, improving its acquaintance with the Russians, pre- 
 paring for active service, if needs should be, in the field, and 
 organizing the Great Sebastopol Spring Meeting, which will take 
 place on Jlonday next by the banks of the Tchernaya, not very 
 far distant from the scene of the memorable charge of the Light 
 Cavalry Brigade on the 25th of October, 1854. The demolition 
 of trenches, works, and houses in the city continues daily and 
 incessantly, so that the south side will scon be as desolate and 
 ruinous as Thebes or Palmyra. Everjr hour long trains of men 
 pass by with beams of timber and planks on their shoulders, 
 which are taken out of the remains of the White Buildings. 
 Had fire been rained down from Heaven on the devoted city its 
 
 E E 2
 
 420 THE ARMISTICE IX THE CRIMEA. 
 
 annihilation could not liavo been more complete. The stranger 
 who halts to s\irvey it IVom the neighbouring heights, deceived 
 by the whitewashed and plastered walls of the houses, might 
 think that Sebastopol was still a city ; but when he walks 
 throngh its grass-grown, deserted streets, formed by endless rows 
 of walls alone, of roofless shells of houses, in which not one 
 morsel of timber can be seen, from threshold to eaves; when he 
 beholds great yawning craters, half tilled with mounds of cut 
 stone, heaped together in irregular masses ; when he gazes on 
 tumuli of disintegrated masonry, — once formidable forts, and 
 now shaken, as it were, Into dust and powder; when he stumbles 
 over the fragments of imperial editices, to peer down into the 
 great gulfs, choked up with rubbish, which now mark the site 
 of the grand docks of the Queen of the Euxine ; and beholds 
 the rotting masts and hulls of the sunken navy which was 
 nurtured there ; when he observes that what the wrath of the 
 eneui}'^ has spared is fast crumbling away beneath the fire of its 
 friends, and that the churches where they worshipped, the 
 theatres, the public monuments, are specially selected for the 
 practice of the Russian gunners, as though they were emulous 
 of running a race in destruction with the allied armies, — he will 
 no doubt come to the conclusion that the history of the world 
 affords no such authentic instance of the annihilation of a great 
 city. It is hard to believe that the site can ever be made avail- 
 able for the erection of houses or the construction of docks ; 
 but I am by no means certain that the immense resources in the 
 command of manual labour possessed by the Government of 
 Russia, of which this very struggle has afforded us all such 
 striking proofs, in the Quarantine Battery, the Bastion Centrale, 
 the Bastion du Mat, the Redan, the Mamelon, and the MalakhofF, 
 may not be made available in time to clear away these modern 
 ruins, and to rebuild houses, theatres, palaces, churches, forts, 
 arsenals, and docks as before. To prevent any successful attempt 
 to use the old materials in the docks, our engineers are now 
 busy in destroying the coping stones of granite and the larger 
 masses of stones in the masonry; but in the Inkermann ravines 
 there arc inexhaustible supplies of building material, which can 
 be floated by the Tchernaya into the waters of the harbour with 
 very little trouble. The immense quantity of cut stone l3'ing 
 in piles at the upper end of the harbour shows that the allies 
 interrupted the Russians in the development of the splendid 
 architectural plans which it was the ambition of emperors to
 
 A RUSSIAN MONUMENT. 421 
 
 accomplish, and which h;id engaged every thought and energy 
 of the JMuscovite governors of" tlie Crimea. The shells of 
 princely mansions which remained on the French side of the 
 town have been knocked to atoms by the Russian batteries on 
 the north side ; the theatre has been demolished, and the 
 beautiful church of St. Peter and St. Paul laid in ruins by the 
 same implacable foe, and they have directed particular volleys of 
 round shot and shell on a monument to one of their naval 
 heroes, whicli stands conspicuously placed in front of a beautiful 
 little kiosk in the midst of a garden, to which there was a 
 hue approach from the place behind Fort Nicholas by a hand- 
 some fliglit of steps, now destroyed. On a quadrilateral 
 pedestal of some pretensions, supporting entablatures with 
 allegorical devices, and ornamented at the summit by a puppis, 
 were inscribed, when first I saw it, the name of " Kazarski," 
 and the dates 1829 and 1834, with an intimation that the 
 monument was erected in his honour. Most of the letters 
 have been stolen, and knocked away now ; and had not the 
 fire from the north ceased, the pedestal itself would have dis- 
 appeared likewise. The French garrison, somewhat harassed 
 by the incessant fire on the town, which, however, did them or 
 us but little mischief, have constructed out of the debris of the 
 houses a very neat quartier inside the walls, which is altogether 
 new, and presents a very strange appearance from its contrast to 
 the ruins around it. The huts of which it is composed consist 
 of wood, and are ranged in regular rows with the usual street 
 nomenclature in these parts of the world, and the 21st Eegi- 
 ment of the Line, who made it, certainly deserve very great 
 credit for their ingenuity, taste, and neatness. 
 
 Notwithstanding the very cold weather which prevailed till 
 to-day and yesterday afternoon, numbers of our ofiicers and men 
 descend to the Tchernaya every day to communicate with the 
 Russians, to examine the new race-course, or to wade after the 
 wild-fowl which abound in the marshes. There is nothing new 
 iu these interviews now, except that the Russians seem to have 
 grown more cordial, or less sullen, since they have become so 
 confident about the conclusion of peace. Occasionally one of 
 the Chevalier Guard makes his appearance, and creates a sensa- 
 tion along the banks ; but the number of officers who come down 
 to our side bears a very small proportion to that of the allied 
 officers who attend these reunions. The men seem never to tire 
 of looking on each other. French, English, and Sardinians swarm
 
 422 TUE AnJIlSTICE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 tlowu to the banks oi' the Tchernaya, in spite of the cold and 
 Litter winds, to confabulate with the Ruskie, to exchange money 
 with them, and to stare at their dogged, and, it must be added, 
 rather dirty-looking enemies, who are not quite so eager or so 
 active in their curiosity as the allied soldiery, and who need the 
 stimulus of turning a dishonest penny in the exchange of small 
 coins to tempt them from grass cutting, and the pursuit of wild 
 duck and hares by the flats beneath Mackenzie's farm to the 
 banks of the stream. They are dressed as usual ; winter and 
 summer there is no external change in theii* aspect, and the men 
 I saw on that warm 20th of September on the slopes of the 
 .•Uma, seem repeated and multiplied in every dii-ection as I look 
 across the Tchernaya. There is a wonderful I'amily likeness 
 among the common soldiers. The small round bullet head, the 
 straight light hair, high cheel-i. bones, grej' keen eyes, rather 
 deeply set beneath straight and slightly-defined eyebrows, unde- 
 monstrative noses, with wide nostrils, large straight mouths, 
 square jaws, and sharp chins, are common to the great majority 
 of them. Their frames are spare and strongly built; but neither 
 in stature nor breadth of shoulder do they equal the men of our 
 old army of 1 854. Many of the officers are scarcely to be dis- 
 tinguished from the men in air, bearing, or dress, except by the 
 plain, ill-made, and slight swords, which they carry from an un- 
 ornamented shoulder-belt ; but now and then one sees a young 
 iellow with the appearance of a gentleman, in spite of his coai'se 
 long coat ; occasionally a great tall lumbering fellow, Avho seems 
 to be of a different race from the men around him, slouches 
 along in his heavy boots. Tlie clothing of the troops appears to 
 be good. Tlieir boots, into which they tuck their loose trousers, 
 are easy and well-made, and the great-coats worn by the men fit 
 them better than our own fit the English infantry. The colour, 
 which is not so much a grey as a dunnish driib, is admirably 
 suited not onlj^ to conceal the wearers in an open countrj', but 
 to defy dust, mud, or rain, to alter its appearance. 
 
 FOL'KTii Division, March 31. 
 The recent debates on the system of purchase in our army 
 have been verj"^ much canvas.sed in camp since the reports reached 
 US, and it must be admitted that the advocates of the system 
 are more numerous than its opponents, whatever may be the 
 relative merits of their arguments. Of course the commission i.s 
 looked upon as a device to shelve the questiori for some time to
 
 THE PURCHASE SYSTEM. 423 
 
 come. The iViends of" the system seem to take it for granted 
 that the arguments used against it must emanate from men of 
 democi'atical and imconstitutional tendencies, and from enemies 
 to the army and to the aristocracy, and Captain Figgs or Colonel 
 Cottontwist are as fierce in their denunciations of Lord Goderich, 
 Sir De Lacy Evans, and even Lord Palmerston, because he made 
 some theoretical admissions against the system, as Lord Plan- 
 tagenet or the Earl of Saxo-Gi-ammaticus. They protest loudly 
 that the object of these innovators is to drive "gentlemen" out 
 of the armj'-; while their opponents declare that the eflect of the 
 system is to keep " gentlemen," — those iieiy cadets of old fami- 
 lies who in other times were the true soldiers of fortune, the 
 descendants of the gentry cavaliers,— om^ of the army. If the 
 ex-Sergeant Jones, now holding a commission in one of our 
 corps or regiments, is noisy in his cups and over-elated with his 
 good fortune, his peccadilloes are the. subject of rejoicings, and 
 are regarded as sufficiently conclusive evidence that we cannot 
 open our commissions to the rank and file; and if he is brought 
 to a court-martial and reprimanded or cashiered, the demonstra- 
 tion is complete. It must be admitted that the training of our 
 barrack-rooms is not favourable to the acquirement of decent 
 manners and gentlemanlike demeanour, and that until we elevate 
 the profession of anns in England, and remove the popularly 
 impressed stigma from the rank of a private soldier, we cannot 
 expect to induce the needy members of the more respectable 
 classes in society to enter as volunteers ; and the high rate of 
 rewards for skill in all mechanical and industrial arts will ever 
 offer an obstacle to the efforts of the recruiting sergeant to enlist 
 a better sort of recruits so long as the present scale of pay and 
 ration stoppages is maintained. The advocates for the abolition 
 of purchase are impressed by the force of such objections as are 
 presented by the general constitution of our array ; but, after 
 all, what the country keeps up its army for is, not to consult the 
 wishes or the tastes of any class whatever, however numerous, 
 powerful, and wealthy, but to fight its battles and to maintain its 
 liberties and its glory against all comers. Pompej^'s dandies 
 were, no doubt, greatly displeased at being slashed in the face by 
 Caesar's rough legionaries, and thought them very low fellows, 
 nor had Knpert's cavaliers any great opinion of the good breed- 
 ing or politesse of Old Nol's Ironsides ; but the camp has never 
 been regarded as any special school for demeanour or the incul- 
 cation of etiquette, however favourable it may be to the develop-
 
 424 THE ARMISTICE IN TUE CRIMEA. 
 
 ment of some of the nobler qualities of humanity; and if we 
 really can procure brave, intelligent, zealous, and deserving 
 officers, though tliey may have a smack of the barrack-room 
 about them, we must submit to the inconvenience. It must be 
 recollected that our boasted mess system utterly breaks down in 
 active campaigning, and that the officers live separately or in 
 very small groups in the held, so that it is only in times of 
 fcace that those whom Providence finxit vieliore Into will be 
 obliged to come in contact with the commissioned gi-ossio', who 
 will, after all, always be in a very small minority. It is for- 
 gotten by the friends of the system of rank for money, that 
 there has as yet been no officer from the ranks whose conduct 
 before the enemy has been the subject of mifavoui-able notice, 
 and that not one of them has been obliged to leave the service 
 for refusal to perform his duty in the trenches ; nor has it 
 always been officers from the ranks who have been subjected to 
 courts-martial, by the sentences of which they were forced from 
 the army. In fact, many of those who take this side of the 
 question are arguing, not for the aristocracy, but for the auro- 
 cracy; they are sacrificing to Plutus when thej' think they are 
 worshipping Mars, and they confound the two questions, — in 
 themselves entirely distinct, but so mingled in camp dialogue as 
 to be inseparable, — of the pm-chase system with that of promotion 
 from the ranks. There are such difficulties in the way oi' an 
 abolition of the former system, that its most intrepid advocate 
 may well pause before he suddenly demolishes it, and the devo- 
 tion, the courage, and the endurance of the British officer of the 
 army, and, above all, the respect and obedience of the men for 
 him, are very weighty considerations in the way of the theo- 
 retical reformer. But if it has its advantages, the system has 
 also its great, its crying evils, of which every mouth is fall, and 
 which are met alone by the remark that there are evils in every 
 system. Look at the case of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Cuddy 
 of the 55th. After the battle of Inkermann, he, as senior Cap- 
 tain, took the command of his regiment, when his senior officers 
 wei'e either killed or wounded. Throughout the whole of that 
 terrible winter he served in the trenches, kept his handful of 
 men together, and in all respects proved himself as careful as he 
 was brave, and as prudent as he was zealous. Although lieu- 
 tenant-colonel in the army, he was only captain in his regiment, 
 and after having gone through the winter of 1854 and the 
 spring of 1855, with all their hardships and conflicts, when the
 
 CASE OF COLONEL CUDDY. 425 
 
 regimental majovity was for purchase, owing to the retirement 
 of the galhmt Major Coats (whom I saw so badly hit at the 
 Alma, that I scarce thought he could recover), Colonel Cuddy 
 had the mortiticatiou of seeing Captain Cure, who was seven 
 years his junior in the list of captains, and who had served at 
 home witli the depot during the beginning of the campaign, 
 pass over his head by purchase, and take the command of the 
 regiment out of his hands. And can the country now heal the 
 wound in that proud spirit ? No ; poor Cuddy fell at the 
 Eedan, and his cares and sorrows are over for ever. Cases 
 somewhat similar are not wanting in other regiments. Right 
 or wrong, had this war gone on, the purchase system was 
 doomed. It is believed out here that the Horse-Guards cannot 
 now get candidates to pay up their money for cornetcies in 
 cavalry regiments, and the fancy prices of commissions have gone 
 down greatly. Is it true that the cornetcies are not filled up 
 in some cavalry regiments, inasmuch as the Horse-Guards have 
 exceeded their number of gratuitous commissions, and will give 
 no more without money, and that no money is forthcoming ? 
 Bearing somewhat on this question is the fact that the General 
 Orders of the camp are crowded with notices that Captain So and 
 So, liaving done the duty of field officer, that Lieutenant Such a 
 One, having acted as captain, and that Sergeant- Major Nobody, 
 having acted as quartermaster of his regiment from such a date, 
 shall draw pay and allowances accordingly. War pushes our 
 system horribly out of shape, and gives its delicate frame such 
 squeezes and deranges it so terribly, that its dearest friends will 
 scarcely know it when we carry it home. 
 
 In conclusion, let me add to these few remarks, which only 
 deserve attention as the echoes of contending voices around me, 
 that some of the young and intelligent officers on the Staff, who 
 have seen the working of the system, do not hesitate to express 
 a hearty wish for its abolition. To the French it is utterly in- 
 comprehensible, and it is a fixed idea in the mind of Private 
 Jean Francois Maria that General Codrington has paid enormous 
 sums for the honour of commanding the army — otherwise he 
 cannot understand it. General De la Marmora, who has had 
 the satisfaction of seeing the splendid army he organized tested 
 in the field, and coming out of the ordeal triumphantly, can only 
 comprehend the system as the emanation of a national worship 
 of gold ; and it certainly must be a disagreeable reflection to its 
 advocates that it sprang up in the most disgraceful period ot
 
 426 THE ARMISTICE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 our national histoiy, when the King was a paid vassal of France, 
 and luxury and licentiousness had made our Court and aristocracy 
 corrupt, venal, and un-English. Let us honour and reward this 
 army for its toils, its services, its victories, its sufferings ; and 
 let us ih€7i show our gratitude hy liberating those gi-and legions 
 Irom the degi'ading intiuences of the purse, and by permitting 
 the commoner and the noble in their ranks to fight on equal 
 terms for the land they love so well, and to '" start fair" in the 
 race of glory and honour. Individual heroism has been so often 
 exhibited by officers and men that we do not signalize and 
 reward it as our allies take every opportunity of doing ; but I 
 hope to be able to present you with many authentic instances of 
 it when the immediate pressure of affairs has been removed, and 
 I will take the present opportunity of satisfying your able 
 correspondent, " Jacob Omnium," on a point respecting which he 
 expressed a desire for information in one of his invaluable 
 letters. I wish you could insei't the story. It is some time 
 since, with equal simplicity and feeling, he told you how, in the 
 midst of a furious and deadl}' fire, two men of the 68th rushed 
 into a riile-pit which had been occupied by an officer and a 
 party of the Rifles, most of whom were wounded by the enemy, 
 and carried oil" the man who was most injured to the rear ; but 
 he was misinformed when he stated that one of these fine fellows 
 v>'as killed. The man is still alive ; he was only knocked over 
 by a shot, which hit him in the heels. The scene of the story 
 so graphically told was between the second and third parallels 
 of the Green-hill trenches, and the time was the 22nd or 23rd 
 of November, 1854. The name of the man who was wounded 
 is James Sims ; he is now serving in the band of the gallant 
 68th. The name of his brave comrade is Samuel Biu-rows ; he 
 was in the band of the same regiment at the time, but he is now 
 doing duty in the rank and file. The Rifle officer sought to find 
 the man to reward him with a couple of pounds, but what the 
 true soldier looks for is honour, and not money ; and I am 
 assured that Sims and Burrows Avould be prouder of a medal, or 
 some such honorary mark of distinction, than of a full iiurse. 
 Let me add this fact : — Sims was one of the men who aided in 
 carrying off General Torrcns from the field of Inkermann. The 
 artillery were falling back for want of ammunition. A portion 
 of the 68th, torn by a tremendous fire, to which they could not 
 reply, were slowly and sternly retiring, and the Russians 
 advanced on the litter-bearers with a loud yell. General ToiTcns
 
 RESPECT FOE THE DKAD. 427 
 
 ordered the men to leave him. Tliey refused, and continued to 
 carry him through the fire. ]le took down the name of Sims, 
 and promised to do something for him, but most likely the 
 gallant General forgot it. 
 
 The friends of the deceased olficers whose bones lie in the Crimea 
 have read the observations which were made by Lord Palmerstou, 
 in reply to Sir J. Fergusson, with the deepest interest, and it 
 must be confessed that the treatment of tlie burial-grounds of 
 tlie enemy by the Turks at Balaklava and Kertch might ailbrd 
 tlie allies some uneasiness, lest, in their undiscriminating revenge, 
 the llussians might destroy tlie few memorials that aifection 
 has been able to erect to friends and relatives departed in our 
 scattered grave-yards. Neither in our attack on the Cemetery, 
 nor in the French assault on and seizure of the Quarantine 
 Church and Cemetery, was any damage done to the tombs, 
 except by the shot and shell of the Russians, and we have 
 sought to preserve respect to the remains of their dead by every 
 means in our power. On most of the tombstones on Cathcart's- 
 hill, and in the other divisional grave-yards, a few words in 
 Russian and a cross have been engraved, to propitiate, as it were, 
 the enemy, and to ask for their forbearance. The graves of 
 some officers are still, I believe, unmarked, and as for the non- 
 commissioned officers and the mere rank and file, their resting- 
 places, spread all over the camp, are scarcely to be distinguished, 
 ti'om the rows of mounds which sliovi"^ where dead horses and 
 butchers' offal have been buried. Would it not be well to en- 
 close all these detached burial-grounds with substantial walls, or 
 even with timber fences, and then to raise in each a monumental 
 column or tablet, with the names, as far as they can be ascer- 
 tained, of those who rest inside, ere the army leaves the Crimea ? 
 Perhaps it would touch the soldier more deeply than gold, or 
 pay itself, to see the country so thoughtful of his departed 
 comrades. There are, of course, graves here and there, trenches 
 hastily dug during an armistice, in which the fallen have been 
 as hastily interred, which the tramp of war has beaten down so 
 that they never will be recognised till some deep plougher turns 
 up the bones to light in ages to come ; but let us mai'k, as far 
 as we know them, the resting-places of these British dead, who 
 lie so far from fi-iends and home. 
 
 Now that our army has breathing time, the large divisional 
 grave-j'ards of the men have been enclosed by a shallow trench 
 of a i'ew inches in depth, and sometimes by a low wall of loose
 
 428 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 stones ; biit, if the Governruent obtains a gviarantee or a promise 
 from the llussian Governnii'nt that they will take means to 
 prevent the Tartars or the peasantry destroyincr any enclosures 
 on their retm-ii, it would be well to make the walls permanent, 
 hij^jh, and strong, as I have suggested. Most of the plateau 
 was, I believe. Crown property — at all events, it was unculti- 
 vated — there were only two or three I'arms on the whole of it, 
 and the ground around them will have been well enriched ere 
 we leave it. The head-quarters was one of these farms, and the 
 plain in which the house stands reeks with animal matter, to 
 which the French, from their adjacent hospital, have unfor- 
 tunately been forced to make large additions verj' recently. 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 PEACE ONCE MOEE IN THE CEIMEA. 
 
 Proclamation of peace — Reflections on the event — War and its plagues — 
 Attaclts of June 18tli and September 8th — Sebastopol might have been 
 taken in 18.54 — Speech of a Russian officer — Russian comic song — 
 Strange stories — Dimensions of tlie war — Our inactivity after tlie battle 
 of Alma surprised the Russians — Russian military band — Grand review 
 of tlie Frencli and English armies — The Russian fleet — Effects of playing 
 with a shell. 
 
 Heights of Sebastopol, Saturday, April 0. 
 
 TiiK proclamation of peace was made to the allied armies by 
 salutes of 101 guns, fired by the field batteries of the Light and 
 Second Division, from the heights over the plain of Balaklava, 
 by the French batteries at the Quartier Genei'ale, by the Sar- 
 dinian redoubts at Fcdukhine, and by the men-of-war at 
 Kamiesch and Kazatch, at two o'clock p.m. on Wednesday, the 
 2nd of April ; but an early General Order and a very widely- 
 spread rumour had diffused the intelligence widely among 
 officers and men long before the cannon exultingly announced it 
 with their thundering voices. 
 
 At Balaklava the news was known by eight o'clock, and the 
 "Leander," Captain Rice, bearing the flag of Admiral Fremantle, 
 was " dressed " with the flags of the allies about that hour, and 
 the merchant shipping by order followed her example, so that 
 the harbour presented a gayer scene probably than human eye 
 ever witnessed there since it was first discovered by some most 
 investigating, shore-hugging, and fissure-pursuing navigator. 
 It was a fine day, — at least it appeared so, by contrast with its
 
 niEPARATIONS FOIl UEPAUTURE. 429 
 
 recent predecessors, — and the effect of the firing from so many 
 points, all of which were visible from the heights of the plateau 
 near the Woronzoff-road, was very fine. The enemy saw the 
 smoke and heard the roar of our guns, but they maintained a 
 stern and gloomy silence. One would have thought that they, 
 above all, would have shown some signs of satisfaction at the 
 peace which they sought, and which they had made such 
 sacrifices to obtain, while no one would have much wondered if 
 the batteries of the English and Sardinians expressed no opinion 
 on the subject. However, there was not a Russian shot fired 
 or flag hoisted from Fort Constantine to Mackenzie, nor has any 
 increase in our intimac)^ taken place, although we have ceased to 
 be enemies. The Tchernaya is the boundary of our wanderings, 
 and the Commander-in-Chief in General Orders reminds the 
 army that the limits originally assigned to them will be strictly 
 maintained. 
 
 April 11. 
 
 The preparations for the speedy evacuation of the Crimea arc 
 pressed on with rapidity and energy. Each division collects 
 about 4,000 shot a-day, and they are carried to Balaklava as 
 fast as the means at our disposal — railway and land transport — 
 will permit. It is stated that 6000 Sardinians will be the fi^s^ 
 to leave, and the Guards will probably be the first EnglisL 
 troops to quit the scene of their suttering, of their endurance, 
 and of their glory. Alas ! how many will lie here till the 
 judgment-day ! Wlio can tell how many have perished whose 
 lives might have been spared — how many an unknown grave 
 might have been untenanted, how many a life wasted which 
 ought to have been saved to the country, to ft'iends, to an 
 honoured old age ! These questions may never be answered, 
 least of all are they likely to be answered at Chelsea Hospital, 
 where the very banners would fall with leaden weight upon the 
 heads of those who should speak the truth that is in them. 
 Heaven lets loose all its plagues on those who delight in war, 
 and on those who shed men's blood, even in the holiest causes. 
 The pestilence by day and night, the deadly fever, the cholera, 
 dysenteiy ; the incompetence, and stupidity, and apathy of 
 chieftains ; the strategical errors of great captains ; culpable 
 inactivity and fatal audacity, — all these follow in the train of 
 victorious armies, and kill many more than the bullet or the 
 sword. But war has its rules. The bloody profession by which 
 liberty is achieved or crushed — by which States are saved or an-
 
 430 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 nilulatecl, has certain fixed principles for its guidance, and the 
 homcBopathic practitioner in the art, or the quack, the charlatan, 
 or the noble amateur, will soon be detected and overwhelmed in 
 the horrors of ruin and defeat. I'erhaps on no occasion has the 
 neglect of the course of regular practice been so severely- 
 punished, even although in the end the object has been gained, 
 as in the siege of Sebastopol. It is the fii'st instance on record 
 in which such a place has been taken by the mere fire of 
 artillery ; for it is admitted by the Russians that even if the 
 assault on the Malakhotf had been repelled, they must have 
 abandoned a place exposed at everj' nook and chink and ci-anny 
 to such a fire that the very heavens seemed to rain shot and 
 shell upon them. We lost an army in establishing that fire, and 
 we have not (notwithstanding the honeyed words of Lord 
 Palrnerston, every soldier here feels what I say is the truth) — 
 we have not added to our reputation — nay, we have not sus- 
 tained it — in the attacks of the 18th of June and the 8th of 
 September. And will it be said that because the particulars of 
 those conflicts have been made known to the world, and because 
 the daring, the devotion, the gallantry, the heroism of our 
 officers and men have been displayed before its eyes, that the 
 English nation has lost its military lircst'njc! Would it have 
 been possible, think you, to have concealed and slurred over our 
 failures ? Would it have been better to let the story be told in 
 Russian despatches, in French Monitciirs, in English Gazettes 1 
 No ; the very dead on Cathcart's-hill would be wronged as they 
 lay mute in their bloody slirouds, and calumny and falsehood 
 would insult that warrior race, which is not less than Roman, 
 because it, too, has known a Trebia and a Thrasymene. We all 
 f ^el well assurc>d that it was no fault of our officers or men that 
 Ave did not take the Redan, and Ave can point to the trenches 
 piled deep with our gallant allies before the Redan of Careening 
 Ray and the Central Bastion, and to the Malakhoff, won with- 
 out the loss of 200 men, and invoke the goddess Fortune ! Alas, 
 she does not always fiivour the daring ; she leaves them some- 
 times lifeless at the bloodstained embrasure, before the shattered 
 traverse, in the deadly ditch, and she demands, as hostages, for 
 the bestowal of her favours, skill and prudence, as well as 
 audacity and courage. 
 
 Every statement made by the Russian officers in conversation 
 concurs in this — that we might have taken Sebastopol in Sep- 
 tember, 1854 ; that they were not only prepared to abandon f ho
 
 RUSSIAN COMIC SONG. 431 
 
 city to its fate, but that they regarded it as untenable and in- 
 capable of defence, and had some doubts of their position in the 
 Crimea itself, till our inaction gave jMenscbikoft" courage, and 
 raised in him hopes of an honourable defence, which might 
 enable him to hold us in check, or to expose us to the attack of 
 overwhelming masses. They admit that their great error was 
 the assumption of a simply defensive attitude after the battle of 
 Inkermann, and they now feel that they ought to have renewed 
 the attack upon our enfeebled army, notwithstanding the terrible 
 loss they suffered in that memorable action. It may be mere 
 military fanfaronade on their part to put forward such an asser- 
 tion, but the Russians one and all declare that they could have 
 retaken the MalakhofF under the fire of their ships, but that it 
 had been clearly demonstrated since the fire opened on Sep- 
 tember the 5th, that it would be impossible to hold the south 
 side under the increasing weight and proximity of the bombard- 
 ment. " It was a veritable butchery, which demoralized our 
 men so far as to make them doubt the chances of continuing 
 the struggle. We lost 3000 men a-day. No part of the city 
 was safe, except the actual bombproofs in the batteries. We 
 were content to have beaten the English at the Itedan, to have 
 repulsed the French at the Bastion of Careening Bay (the 
 Little Eedan), the Gervais Battery, and the Bastion Centrale, 
 and to leave them the credit of surprising the MalakhofF; but, 
 even had we held it, we must soon have retired to the north 
 side, and we had been preparing for that contingency for some 
 days." Such was the speech of one of their Staff to an officer 
 of high rank in our service. There is a long song on the- 
 incidents of the war very popular in the Russian camp, in 
 which Prince Menschikoff is exposed to some ridicule, and the 
 allies to severe sarcasm. Menschikott' is described as looking 
 out of the window of a house in Bakshiserai, and inquiring for 
 news from Sebastopol, and courier after coiu'ier arrives and saj^s, 
 " Oh ! Sebastopol is safe." '*' And what are the allies doing ?" — 
 " Oh ! they are breaking down the houses of Balaklava and 
 eating grapes." The same news for a day or two. At last a 
 courier tells him the allies are cutting twigs in the valleySj 
 and that they are digging great furrows three-quarters of a mile 
 from the place, but that thej^ are afraid to approach it, and that 
 the ships have begun to fire on them. " I declare they are 
 going to besiege it," says he, "and, if so, I must defend it." 
 And so he sends for his engineers, and they at first think the
 
 4:32 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 allies must be digging for gold, misled by ancient traditions 
 about the mines, but at last they niako a reconnaissance, and, 
 finding that the allies are really making distant a])proaches, they 
 saj', " Why, we shall have time to throw up works, too ;" and 
 so they draw up their plans, and Todtleben says, " Give me five 
 days, and I'll mount three guns for their two;" and Meuschikoii' 
 dances and sings " Ha, ha ! I've saved Sebastopol !" The 
 Russians were astonished at their own success ; above all, they 
 were surprised at the supineness and want of vigilance among 
 the allies. They tell stories of their stealing in upon our 
 sentries and carrying them off, and of their rushing at night 
 into our trenches, and finding the men asleep in their blankets ; 
 they recount with great glee the capture of a sergeant and five 
 men in daylight, all sound in slumber (poor wretches, ill-fed, ill- 
 clad, and worked beyond the endurance of human nature), in 
 one of the ravines towards Inkermann. Among many stories 
 of the kind which I have heard, one is remarkable, ^^'hen the 
 attack on Inkermann was projected, it was arranged that one 
 strong column of men, having crossed the bridge of the 
 Tchernaya, near the head of the harbour, should march along 
 the road which winds up above the Quarries ravine, and which 
 leads right upon the ground then occupied by Evans's Division, 
 but this was conceived to be the most daring part of the enter- 
 prise, "as no doubt, strong pickets would be posted on that road, 
 and guns commanding the bridge, or raking the road, would be 
 placed behind the scarps, and these guns would have to be taken, 
 and the pickets and their supports driven in." Judge of our 
 astonishment when we found no scarps at all, and not a single 
 gun on this point. Our General cried, as he gained the level oi" 
 the plateau without a shot being fired, ' We have them— Sebas- 
 topol is saved !' " The bridge over the Tchernaya was not 
 repaired for the passage of men and guns till it was some time 
 past five 'clock in the morning of the 5th, and the men did not 
 begin to i-epair it till after dark on the preceding evening. 
 
 But, after all, we may have been saved by the very imbecility 
 of our leaders. When the conflict before Sebastopol assumed 
 such gigantic proportions it became the war itself. The armies 
 of Russia were absorbed into it, and perished in detail. Had 
 we taken Sebastopol at the outset, we must have been pi-epared, 
 with our small army, to meet those corps d'armee which lost 
 tens of thousands in their hasty march to relieve the place, but 
 who, in the event of its capture, would have closed slowly round
 
 PEACK IN THE CRIMEA. 433 
 
 US, and the same incapacity which prevented our reaping the 
 fruits of our coup-de-main in attempting the Crimean expedi- 
 tion, might have led to more serious evils in a protracted cam- 
 paign in the open field against a numerous and well-handled, if 
 not a daring, enemy. Success has indeed been obtained, but 
 its cost has been great. What is to be said now if much of 
 that cost can be shown to have been a gratuitous outlay of time 
 and money? To me, next to the gravej'arc"' ;, now verdant 
 oases in the dark plateau, the most melancho^; and significant 
 object is our old parallel opened against the ^.alakholf, which 
 the French took from us and adopted as the basis of their 
 attack in the spring of 1855. 
 
 The battle of the Alma had produced such an effect on the 
 inhabitants that tliere seemed to be no chance of offering resist- 
 ance to the allies, and the fall of the town was regarded as 
 certain. The Russians, however, meditated a great revenge, and, 
 knowing the weakness of our army, and that it could not hold 
 the heights and storm the town at the same time, they intended, 
 according to this officer, to take the very plateau on whi(;h we 
 ai'e now encamped, and to fall on our troops while we were dis- 
 organized by our success, and get them between the fire of the 
 Russian shipping, of the northern forts, and of the field artillery 
 outside the place. At first they could not understand the flank 
 march to Balaklava, except as a manoeuvi'e to escape the fire of 
 the north forts, and to get at the weak side of the city, and for 
 three or four days they waited uncertain what to do, until the}' 
 learned we were preparing for a siege. It was then— that is, 
 about five days after we appeared before the place — that they 
 commenced their works. Men, women, and children laboured at 
 them with zeal, and for the first time a hope was entertained of 
 saving Sebastopol, or of maintaining the defence till the corps 
 d'armee destined for its relief could march down to raise the 
 siege. The same officer further stated that on the 9th of Sep- 
 tember he was in command of the advanced posts at Mackenzie, 
 and that his orders were " to fall back and retire with the guns 
 on the appearance of the enemy in force." He declares that the 
 Russians were astonislied at our inactivity, and that they ex- 
 pected a general oftensive movement as soon as we had obtained 
 possession of the south side. 
 
 The amicable intercourse between the allies and their late 
 enemy is on the increase. It is stated that the Jews have got 
 up a fund for the deserters of their persuasion from the Russian 
 
 VOL. II. F F
 
 434 PEACK OXCK MORE IX THE CRniEA. 
 
 ai'my, and that botli Jews and Greeks have deserted, uud have 
 been sent to Constantinople. Credat Judceus ! One man who 
 came into Bahiklava the other day was observed to be very 
 anxious about the walls of a new store. On being asked what 
 he was about, he confessed he was searching for the site of his 
 house, in the cellar of which he had deposited a good deal of 
 plate and valuables. I fear he had but a Flemish account of 
 them. The Ixussian military band (150 strong) at Mackenzie is 
 a great object of attraction. It plays at four o'clock every 
 afternoon. At the hj-mn of '' God preserve the Czar," or what- 
 ever the exact translation of the title may be, to-daj', all the 
 Russians took oft their caps. I could have v.'ished that our 
 officers who were present, and who understood the occasion, had 
 done the same, for immediately afterwards, when the band 
 played " God save the Queen," the Russians uncovered their 
 heads, and paid to our national anthem the same mark of respect 
 as the}^ had paid to their own. A Russian officer — a very 
 yo\mg man — covered with orders, was pointed out to some of 
 the officers as one who had never left the Flagstaff Bastion for 
 eleven montlis. He had been shot through the body, wounded 
 in the head, in the arm, and in the thigh, on difiercnt occasions, 
 and had insisted on remaining in the bastion, nor would he 
 permit himself to be removed to hospital. Many of the soldiers 
 wore the Cross of St. George and other orders. Vvhat a ])he- 
 uomenon would a British private be with the riband of the C.B. 
 ou his breast ! The Russians are very anxious to get some of 
 oiu" medals, and there are some stories afloat concerning the 
 cleverness with which some men have sold florins at high prices 
 for Sebastopol vacuals. 
 
 The thermometer at nine o'clock this morning stood at 70° 
 in tlie shade ! It is now blowing freshly, or rather hotly, from 
 the south, and the air is sickly and disagreeable. The wind has 
 nearly all the characteristics of a sirocco, but the snow still 
 ishines brightly on the distant hill-sides, and covers the summit 
 ledge of Tcliatir Dagh. Many expeditions have been planned. 
 The very top of the mountain I have just named scarcely suffices 
 I'or the ambition of some of our daring tourists, and the heights 
 of the Alma, the Empress's Palace at Orianda, Prince Woron- 
 zofF's grand castle near Yalta, Bakshiscrai, and Simpheropol, 
 have been variously combined as points of interest in the excur- 
 .sions which arc coming off almost immediately. There are only 
 two drawbacks to the pleasures we anticipate in these invasions
 
 A RUSSIAN VIRAGO. 435 
 
 of pleasant valleys and higli mountain passes, hitherto barred to 
 us by the lance-point of the Cossack. The typhus is described 
 to be raging- in the Russian camps, particularly at Bakshiserai 
 and Simpheropol, and we have been warned by the Eussian 
 officers that it is dangerous to travel in small parties, or to be 
 out after dark in the neighbourhood of the Greek districts. The 
 people of Balaklava, of Karanyi, of Kadikoi, of Kamara, and of 
 Tchorgoun, nearly all of whom are Greeks, are living in great 
 misery at Simpheropol and Bakshiserai, and they naturallj^ re- 
 gard us as the cause of all their miseries and misfortunes ; and 
 so they are likely, it is said, to take pot shots at solitary travel- 
 lers, and to try and gratify their religious rancour and their 
 sacred love of gold at one discharge. However, this bugbear is 
 not likely to deter many from going inside the Russian lines. 
 Already some officers have penetrated to Bakshiserai, and have 
 returned with alarming accounts of the price of eatables, drink- 
 ables, and accommodation, — porter twenty francs a bottle, cham- 
 pagne thirty-five francs a bottle, dinner and bed a small fortune. 
 There are some very hospitable fellows among the Russian 
 officers, and they give and take invitations to lunch, dinner, and 
 supper very freely. One of our Generals was up at j\Iackenzie 
 yesterday, and was asked to stay to tea by a Eussian of rank, 
 whose hut he was visiting, but it so happened that Madame, 
 who presided at the tea-table, was present, and she darted such a 
 look at her peccant spouse when he gave the invitation, and 
 glared so fiercely at the heretical English, that our General and 
 Staff turned tail and bolted, leaving the Ruski to the enjoyment 
 of the lecture which Madame Caudelski would no doubt inflict 
 upon him. Perhaps the poor lady was short of spoons, or 
 trembled for her stock of sugar. The Muscov runs quite tame 
 through our camps, and is to be found ever^'where. One of 
 their Generals made a great sensation by driving through the 
 camp in a neat brougham, drawn by a pair of good steppers, and 
 " worked" by a servant in very handsome livery, with an extra 
 plush, in similar uniform of laced coat and cockaded hat, behind 
 him. Four of them went to head-quarters in a droschky, drawn 
 by a team of handsome ponies, with an escort of Lancers, and 
 spent some time in looking at the English roads and at the rail- 
 way works, and in examining the new town of Balaklava. As 
 one gets accustomed to the Russian face it becomes less dis- 
 pleasing, and there are undeniably many of them who are exceed- 
 ingly like Englishmen — more so than any foreigners I have ever 
 F F 2
 
 43G PEACE ONCE MOKE IN THE CUIMEA. 
 
 seen. When drunk tlicy are brutish and stupid-looking, but 
 many of them possess intelligent features, and eyes with an ex- 
 pression of great acuteness and cunning, and they are said to 
 drive very hard bargains with the canteenmen. As there is 
 nothing doing in camp 1 intend to proceed on a Aveek's excursion 
 to the banks of the Alma, retracing the course of our march, 
 thence to Simpheropol, Tchatir Dagh, I'aksbiserai, and thence to 
 the south coast, visiting Orianda and Yalta, and returning by 
 Aloujjka through the valley of Jiaidar. The llussians have sent 
 passes to head-quarters, with one of which I have betin kindly 
 furnished. It is as follows : — " Carte de passe pour les avant 
 postes" (in print), and "General de Service Tchervinsky ;" then 
 in Russian, " Allowed to pass — General, Major," in MS. A gi-eat 
 impediment to these little excursions is the condition of the 
 mountain roads, which have been scarped, and have not yet 
 been repaired, so that it is difficult to get carts across them, and 
 it is necessary to carry tents and provisions for man and beast, 
 unless one is bound for either of the large towns of the Crimea. 
 There is nothing which calls ibr attention or remark in the 
 camps. Our artillery and Land Transport are employed in 
 carrying down guns and shot to the harbour. When the skids 
 are put on going down tlie declines, the road is severely tested 
 by the weight of the heavy guns, weighing three tons and up- 
 wards, but it stands remarkably well, and that it does so under 
 such heavy and frequent pressure is the best proof of its ex- 
 cellence. A stone tablet has been let into the solid rock by the 
 roadside at Kadikoi, bearing this inscription : — " This )oad was 
 made by the British Army, assisted by the Army Works Corps, 
 under the direction of ]\Ir. Doyne, C.E., 1855." I am glad to 
 say that the Generals of Division, acting probably on directions 
 from head-quarters, have given orders for the proper enclosure 
 of the graveyards on the plateau. A high stone wall is being 
 erected around the cemetery at Cathcart's-hill, and admission can 
 only be procured through the gateway, to which there will be a 
 proper door and lock. The interior has been cleaned and 
 cleared of stones and rubbish. It is to be hoped that the Russians 
 will not turn our tombstones into hearthstones and iireplaces 
 I am sorry to say tliat every Russian who goes into Bala- 
 klava will see two of his churches somewhat desecrated ; the 
 church of Kadikoi is used as a storehouse for barley, <fcc., and is 
 crowded with Turkish and Croat labourers ; that at Balaklava is 
 used as tlie medical storehouse. Mr. Parker, the chaplain for
 
 HOMEWARD ROUXD. -i.Ji 
 
 the Balakliiva district, applied for the building, in order that h^ 
 might celebrate divine service in it, but it was not considereil 
 expedient to accede to his request, and so he has set to work, 
 and, aided by many friends, has succeeded in constructing on tin; 
 site of the building first used for the purpose a clean, well-venti- 
 tilated, and well-arranged place of worship, with accommodation 
 for nearly twice the number of people ; but he is satisfied that 
 if there were room his congregation would be increased at least 
 fourfold. Divine service is ]^erformed every Sunday in this 
 church, in the church up at the hospital above the town, and on 
 board the steam-ship "Abundance." The Rev. Mr. Unsworth, 
 the Roman Catholic chaplain, has been removed from the 
 Crimea. It is understood that Dr. Wiseman disapproved of the 
 friendly relations which he held with his heretical Church of 
 England brethren. The reverend gentleman was by no means 
 a polemical divine. 
 
 There is a secession also among the Sisters of Charity, and it 
 is stated that they are nearly all going to leave the Crimea to- 
 day in the "Cleopatra." The Army Works Corps is on the move 
 homewards. Several hundreds of them have been already era- 
 barked, and large sums of money will thus be saved to the 
 country, for the navvies' work in the Crimea is over for ever. 
 The fioating factory and workshop attached to the Land Trans- . 
 port Corps will proceed homewards as soon as the demands for 
 her services cease. Never has money been better employed than 
 in this vessel, the arrangements of which reflect the highest credit 
 on the able and intelligent gentleman, Mr. Fraser, who superin- 
 tended the outfitting and internal economy of the cruiser. He 
 has received but small reward for his trouble ; but Colonel 
 M'Murdo and Mr. Dojiie unite in their testimony to his activity, 
 usefulness, and zeal, and entertain the same sense of the services 
 rendered by the factory. 
 
 No intelligence has been i-eceived respecting the future desti- 
 nation of the troops, and the officers of each regiment are busy 
 in conjecturing their probable I'outes from the Straits of 
 Oibraltar. The belief among many is that their regiments will 
 go to Canada. The sanitary state of the army continues to be 
 wonderful. In one regiment, 700 strong, there were only iico 
 men on the sick list early this week ! Returns have been called 
 for, which will show a frightful contrast to this state of things 
 during the terrible winter of 1854-1855. In some regiments of 
 the Light Division, in addition to the results of sickness, it will
 
 438 PEACE OXCE MORE IN THE CTaMEA. 
 
 be seen from these returns tliat twenty officers and 700 rank and 
 file have been put hor.'< de combat out of a strength of some 
 twenty-eight officers and 800 rank and file, in the course of this 
 campaign. The Russians admit their losses to have been pro- 
 digious, and there can be no question that they have the most 
 unsound and sickly anny in Europe. All past campaigns prove 
 the feet. The dirty habits of the men may account in some 
 measure for the mortality in their camps. 
 
 AprU 22. 
 
 I regi-et that I missed the grand review of the French 
 and English armies, which too place on Thursday last, while I 
 was making the tour of the southern coast round to Simpheropol 
 and Bakshiserai. This day was originally intended for the 
 spectacle, but General Ltiders, for whose edification it was 
 designed, was obliged to leave for Odessa before Saturday, and 
 the review took place sooner than was anticipated. The sight 
 is described by all who witnessed it as magnificent and imposing, 
 and I cannot but regard it as a misfortune to have been absent 
 from it, although I can bear with some equanimity the loss of 
 the French races and the carousal, which also came off during 
 my absence. General Liiders, who was attended by a staff of 
 Euasian officers to the number of seventy or eighty, is stated to 
 have spoken of the appearance of our army in terms of the 
 greatest admiration. Marshal Pelissiev was particularly struck 
 with the appearance of the Highland Brigade, which formed a 
 living wall from the head-quarters camp to the commencement 
 of the formation of our line, and he declared " that they were 
 the finest and most splendid-looking soldiers in the world." 
 The French review took place early in the day; their battalions 
 fonned on the plateau from the Red Hill, to the north-west of 
 Balaklava, near Mrs. Seacole's — a noted landmark — right away 
 to Kamiesch, a distance of more than three miles. They were 
 drawn np in rather loose order, and adopted a less massive for- 
 mation than is their wont, and in the march past their battalions 
 were sometimes broken up, and consisted of only two or three 
 companies each, the remaining companies being formed into 
 another battalion. Their finely-appointed artillery were placed 
 at intervals between the divisions, and necessarily extended the 
 line considerably. General Liiders examined the infantry, who 
 are variously estimated to have numbered from 35,000 to 50,000 
 bayonets, with great care, and spoke in high terms of their 
 admirable bearing and soldierly ar-pect. Our allies presented a
 
 ArPEARANCE OF THE TROOPS. 439 
 
 very fine appearance, notwithstanding- that the tr;;ees of their 
 sutierings from iUness during the winter were painfully apparent 
 in the diminished strength of some regiments. I am glad to report 
 that the sickness which caused such ravages has ceased, and that 
 our allies, in comjjarison, now enjoy excellent health. It was in 
 the regiments stationed at Varnutka, Baidar, JMiskomia, and 
 thereabouts, that the gi'eatest moi-tality prevailed, (iencral 
 d'Autemarre's brigade suffered very severely indeed. The 11th 
 Eegiment lost one-half its number ; the 26th, which was the 
 most healthy, buried nevertheless 250 men ; and the remaining 
 regiment of the brigade, will leave behind it upwards of 400 
 rank and file in the Crimea. The French officers do not conceal 
 the amount of their losses during the winter, any more than 
 they now dissemble the disasters which befell the devoted expe- 
 dition into the Dobrudscha in 1854, the horrors of which have 
 never yet been made public, and the mere sight of which drove 
 Horace Vernet back to Fi-ance with all possible speed. As our 
 national vanity has received a blow which has led to such marked 
 improvement in our organization, it is not improbable but that 
 our gallant allies will be warned by the events of the past 
 winter that their system is not quite so perfect as they imagined 
 and boasted it to be. Had the war continued, the French, in 
 their present state, would have found themselves almost unable 
 to move a day's march, owing to the exhaustion of their train 
 des equipages and the destruction of their animals. They were 
 wont to laugh good-humouredly at our railroad-making, and to 
 say, " Sebastopol would be taken long before it was finished." 
 They have since had practical proof of its utility, and they see 
 every day how great are its advantages, in enabling us to 
 accumulate stoi-es wherever we desire them, and to send down 
 to Balaklava vast piles of shot and shell, while they are as yet 
 unable to make any efforts to collect mah'.nel for export to 
 Fi'ance. Xor do thoy despise our roads, wherever they can be 
 made available ; and the harbour of Balaklava has proved of no 
 small service to our allies — French and Sardinians — as well as 
 to ourselves. However, tliese questions may stand by for the 
 present, and, indeed, for ever, unless the consideration of them 
 is forced upon us. The Russian General, who praised the French 
 for their mai-tial and intelligent aspect, was pleased to award to 
 our troops the merit of great neatness of appearance, strength, 
 steadiness, and solidity.
 
 4-10 PKACE OXCE MORE IX THE CRIMEA. 
 
 April L'3. 
 I luivc been over the iiorlh forts, and have carefully 
 examined, as far as a civilian can, the defences of the place, and 
 it must be confessed that they are of a most formidable character. 
 Fort Constantine bears very few marks of the bombardment and 
 cannonade of the 17th of October, 1854. The crown of the arch 
 of one embrasure has been injured, and is supported by wood, 
 and the stone-work is pitted here and there with shot ; but the 
 pits have been neatly filled in and plastered over. The earth 
 forts are scarcely touched. Fort Catherine, or Nachimotf 
 (formerl}' Suwaroff), is iminjured, but St. Michael's, which is 
 badly built, has suffered from the French mortar fire since we 
 got into the town. The citadel is covered on all sides by pro- 
 digious earthworks, and the hill-sides are furrowed up by lines 
 of batteries bearing on every landing-place and every approach. 
 The aspect of the harbour is very desolate ; the wrecks of the 
 ships and the stumps of masts peering above the waters, give it 
 an aspect of solitude which the boats flitting about cannot 
 destroy. Here is the grave of the Russian Black Sea fleet. In 
 one line from Fort Constantine to the Quarantine and Alexander 
 Forts were sunk before the 17th of October three eighty-fours, 
 then one hundred-and-twentj^ then two eighty-fours, and then 
 one fifty-four. Inside this line was a strong boom, which would 
 have brought up any vessels that had succeeded in bursting 
 through the sunken ships. This outer line and the boom itself 
 were so much damaged, however, by the gale of the 14th of 
 November as to be of little use. The second boom, consisting 
 of chain cables floated by timber, extended from Fort Kicholas 
 on the south to the west of St. Michael's Fort on the north. 
 Inside this boom were sunk, commencing from the north side, a 
 sixty-gun ship, an eighty-four, an one-hundred-and-twenty, an 
 eighty-four, and a sixty-gun frigate. Then come the bridge of 
 boats from Fort Nicholas to St. Michael's. Inside that, in two 
 lines, lie the rest of the Russian fleet. The first is formed of 
 three eighty-fours, an one-hundred-and-twenty, and one hundi'ed- 
 and-ten-gun line-of-battle-ship ; the second consists of a seven- 
 gun steamer, a six-gun ditto, a thirteen-gun ditto, and an 
 eighty-four, close to the ruins of Fort Paul. Nearer to Inker- 
 mann, in the creeks and bays on the north side, are several 
 sunken steamers and five brigs of war and corvettes, and a 
 schooner yacht, sunk or aground. The boats of the men-of-war 
 are safe in one of the creeks which our iruns could not reach.
 
 PLAYING WITH A SHELL. 441 
 
 The Russians do not willingly permit any approach to the 
 vessels on the north side, and shouted at us lustily as we were 
 engaged in examining the timhers. Although the teredo has not 
 yet attacked the wood, it is covered with harnacles and slime, and 
 from what we hear of the ships, it is not likely they will ever 
 be raised as men-of-war again. The famous " Twelve Apostles," 
 the " Three Godheads," the " Tchesrae," the " Wratislaw," and 
 the "Empress Maria," are said to have been unseaworthy before 
 they were sunk, and the only ship for which the Russians 
 express any sorrow is the " Grand Duke Constantine," one- 
 hundred-and-twenty, the finest ship in their navy. She seems 
 quite content with her berth on the bottom, and it will be some 
 time before a timber of her floats again. The Russians are very 
 frank, apparently, in talking over all that relates to the siege. 
 They profess to be rather puzzled to understand why we are 
 taking such trouble to remove all their shot and shell, seeing 
 that they do not quite suit our calibres. At all events, they 
 cannot want them for their own use. To-day some sailoi's be- 
 longing to the steamer " Glasgow," came on shore for an excur- 
 sion into Sebastopol. In one of the ravines they came upon a 
 thirteen-iuch shell, " all alive O," and of course began to plaj- 
 with the delicate monster. They rolled him about, and per- 
 ceiving that the powder tumbled out of the fuse hole, they 
 collected a quantity of it, and proceeded to make a "devil" in 
 the immediate vicinity of the shell. They did not seem to 
 appreciate the alacrity with which powder seizes on favourable 
 opportunities for exploding, nor did they much care that close 
 to the neighbourhood of their " devil" was a train of that lively 
 article leading right away to the fuse of the half-charged shell. 
 And so they lighted their " devil," whicih fizzed awaj^ most 
 diabolically for a second or two, when a train of fire rau to the 
 shell, which burst with its usual strength and ferocity, sending 
 its huge splinters all around. One of these tore off one of the 
 poor fellows' right leg, wounded him in the other, and cut his 
 temple open. Another of the men was contused and cut by 
 splinters of the shell, and was wounded in the face. The first 
 was taken on board the " Gladiator," and the surgeon amputated 
 his leg — his comrade is in no danger. I trust that steps will 
 be taken to drown all shells before they are placed on board 
 ships for conveyance from the Crimea. I regret to have to record 
 another, but not so serious an accident, to-day. At one of our 
 endless races, Mr. Kuox, a young lieutenant in the Scots Fusilier
 
 442 PEACE OKCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 Guards, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Brownlow Knox, M.P., was 
 ridden against with such violence as he was riding on one of the 
 ponies, that not only did his own horse fall, but the rider and 
 horse that came against him. He was stunned for the time, 
 but he soon recovered consciousness, and I am glad to say that 
 the poor boy is exhibiting marks of improvement, and there is 
 every reason to hope for his speedy recovery. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 A tour into the interior — Aspect of the countr}' — Valley of Bnidar — 
 Crimean Flora — Difficulties of the route — Encampment — Bad roads — 
 Cossacks of the Don — A Tartar village — An liotel — Prince Woronzoffs 
 palace — The Tartar Exodus — The evacuation — Visits — New boundary 
 line between Kussia and Moldavia — British army on the move — 
 Departure of the Sardinians. 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol, Api-il 25. 
 The impression left upon the mind of every person who has 
 made the little tour which our party has accomplished must be, 
 and is imiversally, as far as I know, that the resources of Russia 
 in men were reduced to the lowest ebb in the course of this wai', 
 and that she would have been utterly unable to maintain an 
 army in the Crimea, or to continue in possession of it, had we 
 made an aggressive movement with all our forces from Theodosia 
 or Enpatoria, or even left her in an attitude of watchfulness 
 along the extended line from the north side of Sebastopol to 
 Simpheropol. That she still possesses considerable means of 
 transport, and has arabas, telegas, and horses sufficient, in ordi- 
 nary times and on good roads, for the service of her army, was 
 evident enough ; but I was assured, on authority beyond 
 question, that for two whole days this vantcr the troops at 
 Mackenzie were left without food, in consttjuence of the state of 
 the roads. The prices of provisions, allowing very amply ibr 
 the extortions of needy Tartars, of famished innkeepers, and ibr 
 an extremely liberal spirit on the part of English tourists, an.' 
 enormous, and it is almost impossible in many places to procure 
 barley or corn for horses at any sum whatever. The country is 
 deserted, the fields uncultivated, the cares of agriculture un- 
 heeded. A few flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were to be 
 seen here and there in the course of a week's ride, but these 
 were the property of the Government or of contractors, and 
 were not for sale : along the soiith coast fresh meat was un-
 
 INTERIOR OF THE CRIirEA. 44:3 
 
 known, and salt fish and salt pork were the food of those in 
 good circumstances. A mouthful of hay for a horse cost half a 
 rouble or fifty copecs — eggs were 5d. a piece — fowls utterly 
 beyond the means of Croesus. But amid all these evidences of 
 desolation the Cossack is seen here, there, everywhere, singly — 
 in twos and threes, in pickets, in patrols, in grand guards, in 
 Polks, trotting, walking, or more frequently galloping, mounted 
 high on his quaint saddle over his shaggy, long-tailed pony, 
 flourishing with one hand his cruel whip, while with the other 
 he guides the docile animal, above which he towers like a giant, 
 his dirty grey coat fluttering in the breeze and his lance 
 point shining brightly in the sun. He is sown broadcast all 
 over the Crimea. But you do not see regular soldiers in any 
 numbers till you enter the typhus-haunted streets of Simpheropol, 
 or wade through the mud of Bakshiserai ; and even here the 
 miserable, jaded, utterly spiritless, ill -clad, iU-fed, and broken- 
 down miiitiam.an seems to be in the proportion of two to one to 
 the soldiers of the line. The Russian army is on its march 
 from the Crimea as fast as its transport and its legs can caiTy 
 it, and we hear that only one corps d'armee will be left behind 
 to garrison the whole country and to keep the Tartars in order. 
 Poor devils ! that will be an easy task. The regulars are 
 almost as badly clad, so far as their great-coats and boots are 
 concerned, as the militia or the Cossacks. Our whole army has 
 just turned out, by way of contrast, in new uniform, and pre- 
 sented itself the other day to General Liiders en (jrande tenue 
 from head to foot. In order to enable your readers to judge 
 with us of the state of the countiy, I shall transcribe from my 
 diary such portions of it during the tour as appear likely to 
 afford information respecting the effects of the war, or give an 
 insight into the condition of the Crimea. Some other portions, 
 referring to mattei's of less importance, may, however, prove 
 amusing, if not institictive, more from the novelty of the 
 circumstances to Avhich they relate than from any merit of 
 narration or powers of description. 
 
 April 12. 
 
 Started at ten o'clock from canip. The party consisted of 
 four officers, two civilians — one of them myself, the other a 
 travelling gentleman — an interpreter, two soldier servants, and 
 one civilian servant. We took with us a strong two-wheeled 
 light cart, drawn by two mules and a pack-pony, and carried in 
 the cart a canteen, a few bottles of spirits and sherry, cases of
 
 41i I'lCACE ONCK MOllE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 preserved beef, two tents, tbwling-jjieces, a fishing-rod, picks 
 and spades, blankets and hor&e-cloths. The cart was started 
 «^arlj% with orders to halt at Baidar till we arrived, and the 
 party were trotting along the WoronzofT-road towards Kamara 
 by eleven o'clock. The day was most fiirourable — a clear sky. 
 genial sun, and light southerly wind. I met the 4th Hussars 
 (French) on their march in from their cantonments about 
 Baidar, where they have been long exposed to most trying work 
 on outpost duty, and in the ordinarj' occupation of light cavalry 
 in war time. They are fine soldierly fellows, and are quite 
 ready as they sit to ride either to the Groat Wall of China or 
 St. Petersburg. Each man carries a portion of tlie cooking 
 utensils of his mess, forage for his horse, blankets, and 
 necessaries for the march, and seems heavilj"^ charged, but on 
 examination he will be found to weigh a couple of stone less 
 than an English Hussar — otherwise, indeed, his small horse, how- 
 ever high tempered, could not carry him. The Sardinians are 
 also on the move, and are sending in baggage to Balaklava. 
 The large village of sheds and sutlers' shops which is placed on 
 the road at the redukhine heights, and which is called 
 Woronzoff, is in considerable excitement at the prospect of 
 losing its customers, notwithstanding that the Eussians Hock in 
 to supply their place. The French camp here is built like that 
 of their neighbours the Sardinians, very much on the Tartar or 
 Russian plan, and the huts are semi-subterranean. They 
 present in appearance a strong contrast to the regular rows of 
 high wooden huts belonging to the Highland Division opposite, 
 at Kamara, but the money saved to France and Sardinia bj' the 
 ingenviity and exertions of their soldiers in hutting themselves 
 must have been very considerable in amount. To counteract 
 the mesquin look of these huts, our allies — more especially the 
 French — have planted the ground with young firs and ever- 
 greens, brought a considerable distance from the hillsides of 
 Baidar, so that, after all, their camp is more pleasant to look at 
 than that of the English. They have also made gardens, which 
 promise to bear fruit, flowers, and vegetables for Tartars and 
 Muscovites, and they have turned a large portion of ground by 
 th;> banks of the Tchernaya, and close to the Traktir-bridge, 
 ir.io a succession of gardens, each appropriated to different 
 companies of the regiments encamped in the neighbom-hood. 
 Sic vos non vobLi. As we enter the gorge which leads into the 
 valley of Varnutka we met some Tartar families, men and
 
 TARTAR YOUNGSTERS. Ai-J 
 
 children, on the road, looking out possibly for some place to 
 squat on. These poor ci-eatures are menaced with a forced 
 return to their nomadic habits of centuries ago. Civilization 
 has corrupted them. The youngsters run alongside j-our horse, 
 crying out, if you are English, " I say, Johnny, piaster, 
 (give me piaster, Johnny ! ") if you are French, "Doe dong 
 (intended for dites done), dounez-moi piastre," — a liright- 
 eyed, handsome race when young, with fine teeth and cleai- 
 complexions ; and venerable looking when old, owing to their 
 marked features and long beards, but in manhood sly, avaricious, 
 sh}"-, and suspicious. The Russians give bad accounts of them, 
 and say they are not to be trusted, that they are revengeful and 
 ill-disposed — the slaveowner's account of his nigger. Most of 
 the fruit trees in the pretty valley of Miskomia and Varnutka 
 have been cut down for fuel. Crossing the ridge which 
 separates this valley from that of Baidar, we pass the gutted 
 and half-ruined chateau dii Petroflsk3^ For a long time this 
 charming little villa supplied French and English cavalry and 
 outposts with delicious wine from its cellars, and was spared 
 from ruin ; but bit by bit things were taken away, and at last 
 a general spoliation was made of all the place contained — the 
 furniture was smashed to atoms, the doors broken, the windows 
 carried away. One officer attached tct the light cavalry 
 regiment quartered there took away a handsome china service, 
 and most of these dangerous visitors brought off some memento 
 of their visits. The Tartars were rather rejoiced at the ruin of 
 the place, for Count Petroffsky was no favourite with them, but 
 they alwaj's express the greatest regard and affection for Prince 
 Woronzoff. Baidar itself — a middling Tartar hamlet at the best 
 of times — looks worse than ever now ; garance dyed breeches 
 were hanging out of the window-holes on all sides, and outside 
 one very shaky, tumble-down wattle-house there was a board 
 declaring that there was good eating and di-inking in the Cafe 
 Pelissier. The village has one advantage, of which no Tartar 
 village is ever destitute — a stream of clear water flows through 
 it, and there are two or three fine springs close at hand. The 
 people are miserable ; the men are employed by the French as 
 wood cutters and as drivers of arabas, but the money they re- 
 ceive is not sufficient to procure them full supplies of food or 
 proper clothing. From Baidar the road ascends by the mountain 
 ridges to the Foross or Phoros Pass, and alibrds many delightful 
 views of the great valley of Baidar, which is, as it were, a vast
 
 44G PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CUIMEA. 
 
 wooded basin, surrounded by mountain and liill ranges covered 
 with trees and sweeping right round it. Bhickbirds, tlarushes, 
 nightingales, large and gaudily-coloured jays, wood-pigeons, 
 doves, rock-pigeons, hawks, falcons, and great numbers of mag- 
 pies, frequent the valley, and those which have good voices 
 make it right musical towards sunset. Nightingales are 
 veiy numerous, and so are varieties of -flycatchers, titmice, and 
 buntings. In winter the hilLs are full of woodcock, the springs 
 arc haunted by snipe, wild duck, widgeon, and teal; and the 
 woods give shelter not only to roe-deer, but, if certain veracious 
 reports promulgated this very winter are to be believed, to 
 wolves and bears. The road to Phoros is not good, and in winter 
 must have been of little use. The summit of the pass at Phoros 
 is surmounted by a stone arch which crosses the road at a place 
 guarded on every side by walls of rock, hundi-eds of feet in height. 
 There is a French guard here, and, of course, we had to exhibit, 
 amid many excuses, our passes. That was but a little matter, but 
 on entering the archway we iound it was fortified after the first 
 rules of art ; there were traverses and parapets of great height 
 and thickness, and at the other side of the arch were similar 
 obstacles. The mules were taken out of the cart ; then it was 
 unloaded, and the things carried one by one to the other side of 
 these entrenchments : then the wheels were taken oif, and by 
 the united strength of our whole party, aided by some good- 
 natured French soldiers, the cart itself was lifted up bodily and 
 carried across all the gabions, earthworks, and traverses, and 
 landed with a cheer on the narrow road at the other side of the 
 pass. The scene which bursts upon the eye on emerging from 
 the arch is one of the finest I have ever witnessed — indeed, I 
 am not sure that it is not the most beautiful and grand that I 
 have ever seen. You find yourself standing in a very narrow 
 road, on the left hand of which a sheer slab of rock rises to the 
 height of 600 or 700 feet above you — its surface rent with 
 fissui-es, here and there dotted hj stunted firs, which cling like 
 weeds to its surface, diversified with all the tints for which 
 volcanic rocks are remarkable. At the base of this cliff, which 
 stretches furtlier than the sight can trace it, is a ragged fringe 
 of mighty boulders, of fragments of mountains tossed down in 
 the wildest confusion amid the straggling brushwood. On your 
 right, nearly 1,000 feet below you, is the sea, washing the 
 narrow selvage of land which tumbles down from beneath your 
 I'eet in waves of verdure, covered with thick irroves and dotted
 
 CRIMEAJT no ADS. 447 
 
 witli rocks, so rapidly that tlie dark blue waters, which are 
 really nearly a mile distant, seem to be only a few hundi-ed 
 yards from the road. This narrow shelving strip of land, 
 formed of the debris of the mountain-chain above it, which lies 
 beneath the clifi" and descends to the sea, extends along the 
 coast from Phoros to Demur Kapu, or the Iron Gate, widening 
 as it rims eastward, and losiuq; its distinctive character com- 
 pletely ere it reaches Aloushta, in consequence of the great wall 
 of cliff 071 the left hand receding rapidly inland and northwards 
 from the point opposite Yalta. The length of tliis strip is 30 
 miles. It is nearly a mile broad at Phoros, and thence it 
 gradually expands, till at Aloupka, it attains a breadth of nearly 
 three miles, and at Yalta it is five miles from the sea to the base 
 of the cliff. The road winds for many miles along the foot of 
 these stupenduous crags, but there is a lower road, reached by 
 zig-zags, which leads to the villas situated in the lovely valleys 
 by the coast. This strip of shelving land is of the most varied 
 formation. It is tossed about into hill and dale, and is seamed 
 with shady ravines and deep woody dells, which are water- 
 courses in winter. As it is quite sheltered by the cliff from 
 northerly winds, and is exposed to the full povrer of the 
 sun, the climate here is beautifully mild until the heats 
 of summer begin, and the land produces in great perfection 
 an astonishing variety of vegetable productions. The Crimea 
 has a Flora of its own, but the lady is dressed so quaintly, 
 uses such strange language, and is called so many hard, long 
 names, that in my ignorance I am afraid to approach her, or to 
 do anything more than to praise her general effect and appear- 
 ance at a distance. But here is indeed a horrid reality to talk 
 about. Some half-mile from Phoros, the road runs through a 
 solid rock by means of a tunnel about thirty yards long. I 
 happened to be riding in advance, and to be the first who saw 
 that this tunnel was blocked up by a wall of stones about seven 
 feet in height and eight feet in thickness. All passage for the 
 c^t seemed hopeless. We never could lift it up so high. There 
 was no getting' round the rock, and so I smote my breast and 
 returned to the party. But there were two or three among us 
 not easily to be deterred from their purpose. An examination 
 was made ; a council of war was held ; and it was decided that 
 over the wall we must go, and that the obstacle intended to pre- 
 vent the march of Cossack cavab-y and the carriage of mountain 
 guns, was not to impede six British tourists. Under the direc-
 
 448 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CKIMKA. 
 
 tiou of our acting engineer to work we went. The party got 
 on the wall and proceeded to dislodge the stones on both sides 
 with regularity and precision, rolling them down so as to form 
 a kind of solid arch out of the centre of the wall. Shins were 
 cut, toes were sma.shed, spurs were Lent, but the work went on, 
 and at the end of three-quarters of an hour the way was declared 
 to be practicable. Tlie inulcs were taken out of the cart, and 
 walked by a footpath round the rock ; the heavj- articles were 
 unloaded, and then, with main strength, the cart, after a despe- 
 rate struggle, was spoked up to the top of the mound of rocks 
 and stones, and then, with immense difficulty, was backed down 
 to the road on the other side, liaybc the old tunnel did not 
 re-echo three tremendous cheers when the work was over, and 
 the mules emerged with their triumphant chariot ! But our 
 troubles are not half over. The French were uneasy at Phoros 
 — they have scarped the road, and what they have spared, two 
 winters of neglect have very nearly demolished. Before we 
 moved six miles we executed, in addition to these labours, the 
 following great public works, in order to get our cart over : — 
 No. 1. Built a wall to bank up the road-side at a precipice ; 
 No. 2. Filled up a crevice with brush-wood and loose stones ; 
 No. 3. Made the road practicable with fascines ; No. 4. Cut away 
 hill-side, so as to widen the road by the side of a precipice where 
 it had given way ; No. 5. Unloading cart and spoking it over a 
 bit, and loading it again. It is about twenty-two miles from 
 the camp to the Phoros pass, and our halting place for the night 
 is the ruined chateau of Isarkaia, which is about six miles from 
 Phoros. We reached this secluded spot about seven o'clock in 
 the evening. The walls and roof alone are left. The windows 
 are smashed in, woodwork and all, and the only thing untouched 
 in the place is a mangle in the kitchen. We stable our horses 
 in the parlours and library, for all I know to the contrary, un- 
 pack the cart, and carry in saddles and bedding to the room 
 designed for dining and sleeping. There are no boarded rooms, 
 but the clay floor is soft, a ibuntain and a stream of water run 
 hard by. The horses are groomed and supplied with hay and 
 corn, and we prepare for dinner. A horrid announcement is 
 made — " TJie Major has ibrgot to bring either kettle, gridiron, 
 or saucepan; the tea and the sugar have got mixed, but that is 
 no consevjuence." What is to be done ? Ingenious engineer 
 suggests iliat my tinned iron dish shall be used as a fryingpan ; 
 carried iicm. con. As to saucepan, some ingenious person drives
 
 EFFECTS OF WAR, 449 
 
 two holes in a potted-beef tin case, thi'usts a piece of wood 
 through them as handle, and proceeds to make soup therein 
 over a bUizing fire liglited up in one of the ruined fireplaces of 
 the drawing-room. Just as soup is ready, handle barns thi'ough 
 and soup upsets into the fire — a disaster quite irretrievable, and 
 so we proceed to devour tough ration beef done in steaks on the 
 tin dish. Sherry is forthcoming, bread, and preserved vege- 
 tables. Water is boiled in a small teapot, and produces enough 
 for a temperate glass of grog ; the blankets are spread on the 
 floor, and preparations are made for sleep. First, however, the 
 watch is appointed. Each man takes an hour in the alphabetical 
 order of his name, from eleven to five o'clock, to watch the 
 horses, to keep in the fire, and to guard against theft. The 
 mangle is broken up for firewood. In doing so, the best made 
 London axe, bought from an eminent London saddler, flies in 
 two at the first chop ! — useful article for travelling ! Odd legs 
 of chairs and tables, bits of drawers and dressers and cupljoards, 
 are piled up for the same purpose, and our first watch is left on 
 his post. We muster three double-barrelled guns and four 
 revolvers between us — a total of thkty shots; but the night 
 passes over quietly. 
 
 Sunday. 
 
 Below the walls of the house in which we encamped, buried 
 amid orchards and vineyards, is a ruined villa with marble foun- 
 tains and handsome rooms. It is pillaged and wrecked like the 
 rest, but it tempts most of our party to plunge down through 
 the bi'ushwood and thick scrubby woods, interlaced with " Clirist's 
 thorn" and long creepers, to the ledge on which it stands above 
 the sea at a considerable elevation, notwithstanding that it is 
 half an hour's steep descent to the ledge from the shore. The 
 silence, broken only by the cry of the eagles which soar about 
 the clifls, the surge of the wave on the rocks, and the voices of 
 the birds in the groves, is rather a source of pain than of plea- 
 sure. 3falheur a la devastation is inscribed on the walls. 
 But who were the devastators ? ■ The Russians allege it was the 
 allies — the Tartars declare it was the Russians themselves. There 
 are many who believe that these very Tartars had no small share 
 in the plundering and wrecking of their taskmasters' and con- 
 querors' summer palaces. We know from experience that on 
 the march to Sebastopol, every village, every little villa and 
 farmhouse, was sacked and destroyed by the enemy, and Bour- 
 liouk, Eskel Mamarhai, Belbek, &c., were in ruins before our 
 
 YOL. II. G G
 
 450 PEACE OXCE MORE IN THE CliniEA. 
 
 outposts reached them. Tlic evidence so far is against the Eus- 
 sians. As the walls and roofs of these houses are untouched, 
 they look as picturesque and pretty from a distance as ever they 
 did, and it is only on nearer approach that traces of the hand of 
 the spoiler become visible. We had a very excellent breakfast, 
 notwithstanding the extraordinary rich flavour of onions in the 
 tea, which was accounted i'or by the circumstance that the water 
 had been boiled in the soup-kettle. Some officers of the Guards 
 who had followed us, and bivouacked near the post-house which 
 we had passed on the road, came in as we were at " our humble 
 meal," and relished their share of it exceedingly. Their cart 
 pushed on in advance of ours, and as they profited by our labours 
 of ycsterdaj'', so did we in a smaller degree (our cart was larger 
 than theirs) reap the advantage of their preceding us part of the 
 way to-day. We started about eleven o'clock, and our hai-d 
 work soon commenced. Between the enemy, the French, and 
 the winter, the road scarcely existed ; it had been swept down 
 into the ravine. However, our motto was vestigia nulla 
 retrorsum, and the colonel, the major, the captain, the D.A.C.G., 
 the civilians, and the soldiers, worked as if for their lives, and 
 succeeded in the course of the day in executing the following 
 useful public works : — No. 1. Eoad blocked up by rocks fi'om 
 mountain, cut down trees, made levers, and cleared the Avay; 
 major's leg nearly broken, every one dirtied with wheel grease, 
 linger nails broken, hands cut, &c. No. 2. Koad repaired by 
 Guards, who left us a bit of paper on a stick to commemorate 
 the fact — was found too narrow, the hill-side dug out, stones 
 laid, and road extended. No. 3. Landsliji — edge of the road 
 gone, built up a wall of stones to support the edge, and passed 
 over triumphantly. No. 4 Were riding along at a smart pace 
 doAvm the road, which winds like a piece of tape (not red, but 
 white) along the mountain side, when frantic cries from the next 
 turn recalled us to our cart; found it had gone down over a 
 gulley, shooting out beds and bundles some hundreds of feet 
 below, and was lying right over in the mud of the aforesaid 
 gulley atop of the wheel mule. No one hurt. Took off wheels, 
 cut fastenings, and unharnessed mule, which escaped without a 
 hurt, but Avas covered with mud ; raised cart, carried up beds, &c., 
 out of ravine ; unpacked cart and carried baggage across bad 
 parts of landslip ; set cart on wheels, loaded it, and went on 
 our way rejoicing. Just after this accident we met General 
 Eyre and his staff, attended by a Russian officer and several
 
 USEFUL PUBLIC WOKKS. 451 
 
 Cossacks, on liis way to Phoros. The gallant General had 
 been round to Bakshiserai, Simpheropol, and Aloushta, and 
 Avas just reversing our route which our party had the honour 
 of being the first to drag a cart over. The General had 
 been assisted up to this point by a village full of Tartars, 
 who were caught by the Eussians, to get his cart over the 
 bad places. No. 5. Came upon the Guards and their servants, 
 Avho were busy mending the road where it was cut by a mountain 
 watercourse : aided them and ourselves ; got over our cart first 
 and preceded them on the road. No. 6. Cut fascines and filled 
 in a gap in the road. Let it be understood, all this time, that 
 there is the sea below us on the right, the quaint wall of clifi's, 
 000ft. or 700ft. high, on our left, and at times, as it were, topplmg 
 over on our heads, and a rugged slope of wood and vineyard 
 dotted with viUas between us and the beach. No. 7. Having 
 come up to a party of Guardsmen who were bivouacking with 
 .some artillerjmien on their way back to Baidar, we were told 
 that the road was utterly impassable ; it had been carried away 
 by a landslip. Eesolved to go on ; repaired road soon after- 
 wards, and proceeded cautiously through mud from the ice rills 
 which had bored through and broken up the path in many 
 places. It was becoming late, and yet v/e had not got more 
 than eight or nine miles from Asarkaia, and Aloupka, for which 
 we were bound, was still as many miles ahead of us. The clifi" 
 at this part of the coast, which is somewhere between Kikineis 
 and Liraena, recedes further from the sea, and there is a con- 
 siderable tract of hills from its base to the road. These hills 
 are covered with brushwood, and our vidette in front reported to 
 us that two round knobs, which, no doubt, served as heads to as 
 many Cossacks, were visible in advance, amid the young foliage. 
 As we approached, the knobs disappeared, but presently two 
 lance points peered above the rocks at the turn of the road, and 
 in another moment or two we were in the presence of three 
 mounted Cossacks of the Don, who by signs demanded our 
 passes in a very civil and agreeable manner. As none of them 
 could read, this formality seemed useless, but they gave us to 
 understand by signs that one of our party must go to the officer 
 of the post, and the Major and his interpreter were accordingly 
 handed over to the care of an individual with one eye, and were 
 out of sight very speedily. Our cart was ordered back, and it 
 was explained that we had to drag it over the slope of the hills 
 on om- left, as the road before us actually had gone over the 
 G G 2
 
 A52 PEACE OXCE MORE IN THE CllI.MEA. 
 
 cliffs. Our friends were intelligent, good-looking young fellows, 
 and while waiting for the ]\Iajor avc spent some time rather 
 agreeably witli them in a mvitual examination of arms and 
 interchange of tobacco. They wore heavj' curved swords, with- 
 out guards to the handles, in large sheaths of wood covered 
 with leather. Their heads were covered with sheepskin caps, 
 the top being formed of red cloth, and slightly conical in shape. 
 Their coats were like those of the infantry of the line — long 
 garments of gray cloth, fastened by a strap at the back, and their 
 trousers were tucked into their boots, mo7'e 3IuscovUortim. 
 Each man had a long carbine slung over his shoulder, and I Avas 
 rather surprised to observe that they had percussion locks. 
 This armament was completed by a long and ver^' light lance. 
 The edges of their swords were as sharp as razors — their lance 
 points were equally keen. Their hair was closely cut, and they 
 had the whiskerless cheek, the beardless chin, and the musta- 
 chioed lip of the " regulation." Their horses were barely four- 
 teen hands high, and were high in the bone and low in the 
 flesh, but their speed and endurance are undeniable. The Cossack 
 rides high above his horse — he sits in the hollow of a saddle 
 which looks like tAvo pillars of black leather, at such a height 
 that his heels are against the horse's flank, and when the animal 
 trots, his rider's head is thrown forward over the shoulder, so 
 that a right line let fall from bis head v.-ould be in advance of 
 his toes hy some inches. The manes of the Cossack horses are 
 very long, and their tails often sweep the ground. We soon 
 found they were very quick walkers, and got over the ground 
 with rapidity and ease. As the Major did not return, we con- 
 cluded, after a long stay, that he was on the road before us, and 
 we resolved to urge the cart over the hill. The Cossacks helped 
 us in this (which was no easy matter) as soon as their comrade 
 came back with an intimation, as we understood, which would 
 be interpreted in English that " it was all right." The cart 
 was once more unloaded, and its contents were dragged by lis 
 across the steep hill ; then the cart was spoked up over the 
 spongy ground, was loaded again, and the drivers were con- 
 ducted to the road by the Cossacks, while we were shown a 
 shorter cut, and descended iinder escort of our amiable, but 
 strongly-scented friends, down through shady ravines to the 
 Tartar villiigc of Slmeis. Simeis, like all Tartar villages, is 
 built by the side of a brook, which brawls pleasantly through a 
 succession of little cascades as it leaps down from the mountains
 
 A RUSSIAN COLONEL. 453 
 
 to the sea. The ravine in which the village is situate is shaded 
 fi'oni the sun by enormous walnut and chestnut trees, and b}^ the 
 humbler branches of pear, apple, and peach trees. The houses 
 are built on the slope in layers, with broad flat roofs, which are 
 rendered watertight by a thick covering of sand and bitumen, 
 and on looking down on it, or on any of the Tartar villages, not 
 a house is visible ; all that can be seen is a succession of little 
 brown square patches with one hole in each, descending the slope 
 in regular terraces, the backs being formed by the hill-side itself. 
 In Simeis we were halted till the curiosity of a strong Cossack 
 picket and some regulars was satisfied. About sixty men passed 
 us in review, and then we were let to climb the hill up to 
 tlie road, at which we found another Cossack waiting to relieve 
 our silent friend who had so far accompanied us. It was getting 
 dark ; there was no sign of the Major ; but, for a wonder, 
 one of the Cossacks spoke German, and he told us an Eng- 
 lish officer was on in front. In a few moments our guide 
 began to ride down a steep zigzag road towards the sea. 
 The cart had come up all right, and we found we were on oiu" 
 way down to Aloupka, which is close to the sea shore. The 
 zigzag was as steep and sharp in its turns as any Swiss 
 mountain path, and the horses, already tired by the nature of the 
 day's journey, showed signs of distress very visibly. The 
 descent lasted for an hour ; it seemed a night ; the young moon 
 just lighted up the Cossack's white horse and the i'eathery tips 
 of tall poplars and branches of gray olive trees, and all else was 
 in darkness. We heard the roar of the sea close at hand at 
 last, and a low white building peered above the trees. We 
 cantered into the open space before it by a nice avenue, with a 
 regular paling on each side. The Cossack dismounted, fastened 
 xip his horse, and went into the house, leaving us in profound 
 ignorance and great hunger outside. The sounds of very noisy 
 and drunken singing, which roused the night owls through the 
 windows, led us to believe the house was a Cossack barrack, but 
 at the same time the door opened, and out came a brisk little 
 man, who spoke good French, and a decent body, his wife, who 
 astonished us with excellent English, and we found that we were 
 at the hotel at Aloupka. The cause of the noise was sooir found. 
 It was the work of a drunken Russian Colonel, chief of the 
 police at Yalta, who had introduced himself to some English 
 officers at that place, and had, in spite of them, accompanied 
 them so far on their way to Phoros. " J'oila," said a little
 
 ioi: PEACE OXCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA, 
 
 voice in our ears, as the door of the dining-room was opened, — 
 " Voila la noblesse Susse — // est nohle parceqii'il est Colonel." 
 The room in which we found ourselves was a comfortable apart- 
 ment, with sofas and easy chairs, engravings of Count Potocki, 
 of the Czar (of course), of Prince Woronzoff, of very warm 
 subjects from French burins, on the walls, and a table well 
 covered with bottles and glasses. At the end of the table was 
 seated a Russian officer, screaming at the top of his voice some 
 inscrutable snatches of song, for which he prepared himself by 
 copious doses of brandy, sherry, and Crim wine. He was 
 offensively drunk, but the terror which he inspired in the land- 
 lord and landlady was not the less on that account, and was 
 evidently only equalled by their hatred of him. We are told 
 that the Eussians read the London papers so diligently that they 
 know everything that passes as well as we do ourselves. I do 
 not wish to get our good host and his wife, or even the inebri- 
 ated Muscovite, into a scrape, or I would relate a few particulars 
 respecting their demeanour which might prove amusing. The 
 Colonel of the Aloupka district, when he heard of the condition 
 of his brother " authority," gave orders that he should be 
 turned out, but these were not carried into effect till late in the 
 evening. He spoke a little French, and I think he understood 
 English, though he professed not to know a word. Our dinner 
 consisted of salt meat and an omelette au lard, washed down 
 with plenty of Crim wine. We had also a tin of preserved 
 beef. It was very fat, and we all put away the excess of adipose 
 matter on a plate, where it formed a pretty large pile. The 
 Colonel, who had been eating the meat, suddenly seized upon 
 this plate, and stuffed huge mouthfids of. the fat and grease downs 
 his throat on the point of a knife with infinite gusto. A Cossack 
 brought us in our passes. In spite of his standing at attention, 
 the man's look betrayed a feeling of greater disgust at the 
 Colonel's condition than I should have given him credit for. Our 
 horses, which were put in a distant stable, could only be fed by 
 the intervention of some others of our Dons, who also undertook 
 to guard them all night, — "the Greeks were such robbers." 
 Our beds were clean and comfortable, and we slept well till 
 morning, although the Colonel kicked up at intervals a dread- 
 ful row outside. The Guardsmen arrived about an hour 
 after us, and assisted us in entertaining the Colonel. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 Distance lends enchantment to the view of Prince Woronzoff's
 
 PRINCE WORONZOFF's PALACE. 455 
 
 palace from the sea. Hence it seems a splendid combination of 
 Tartar and Norman architecture, donjons and keeps, and battle- 
 mented wallS) strangely intermingling with minarets and the 
 dome of a mosque. It is quite close to our hotel, and is ap- 
 proached by a beautiful walk, like the back lodge avenue in an 
 English estate. The path is marked by a wooden palmg, inside 
 which are olives and fruit trees, and evergreens, and immense 
 chestnut and walnut trees and silvery poplars. We pass a quiet 
 chateau with a verandah and terraced front. It was the Prince's 
 residence before he built his palace, and it is now used as a- 
 summer retreat by his son. The furniture is simple and hand- 
 some, and there is a beautiful view from the windows. A Eus- 
 sjan servant (the only one wo saw about the place) readily 
 showed us over the premises. What we saw there, at the 
 Empress's palace of Orianda, at Yalta, Aloushta, Simpheropol, 
 and Bakshiserai, I must reserve for another letter, as this has, I 
 fear, exceeded all tolerable limits. I have since then revisited, 
 the Alma, which exhibits more traces of fight than the valley 
 of Likermann, the plain of Balaklava, or the banks of the 
 
 Tchernaj'a. 
 
 Friday. 
 
 Of all the painful and pitiable sights which have been pre- 
 sented to me in the com'se of the war which is past, there was 
 not one so affecting as that of the Tartar Exodus and their flight 
 out of the Crimea. Whether they are animated, as they say, by 
 the dread of their Russian taskmasters, or by their desire to im- 
 prove their condition, the motive must be powerful which can 
 drive a whole race from their homes. They leave those peace- 
 ful and beautiful valleys for ever, and flock into Balaklava with 
 all their goods, in the hope of obtaining the means of escape. 
 
 On Thursday the whole population in the valleys outside th 
 Russian lines began their mournful procession. They left their 
 homes silently. The old men, women, and childi'en were placed 
 on the arabas, above the pile of cushions which seem to consti- 
 tute all their household furniture. Many of them cried bitterly. 
 Several of these poor pilgrims were so exhausted from illness or 
 old age that there was little chance of their ever seeing the land 
 they seek to gain. Each araba was drawn by two small bullocks 
 or oxen, led by the head of the family ; the elder children kept 
 by his side or followed on foot. The women, closely veiled, in 
 spite of then- grief, looked around with wonder at the marvels 
 which Balaklava presented, and. were for a time beguiled from
 
 4.'>6 PEACE ONCE MORE IX THE CRIMEA. 
 
 thoughts of their abantloncd dwelliiiijs in Biouk, Miskomiji, 
 Varnutka, J^aidar, Upu, Ozembash, or Tchuliu ; but as the sea 
 opened upon them, and they found themselves among strangers, 
 the sense of their position came back to them with redoubled 
 force, and they seemed lost in despair. The procession which I 
 saw was aboxit a mile in length, and was Ibrmed of arabas in 
 single file, as close to each other as they could pack. The head 
 of the train was drawn up by the water's edge in the harbour, 
 and the extremity extended far bej'ond the limits of the town. 
 I am informed that there was a large encampment of the same 
 poor creatures near Kamara last night, and that they would 
 make their way into Balaklava as soon as their predecessors had 
 cleared away. I also saw several families who had taken refuge 
 in the camp of the head-quarters of the Land Transport Corps 
 last night. As there were no houses for their reception, men, 
 women, and children slept in the streets of Balaklava under 
 their arabas. In the morning they found that the Turkish 
 Colonel who superintended the emigration, and who was evidently 
 unprepai'ed for its magnitude, had only one small vessel ready 
 for them ; but he succeeded in hiring two small Turkish sailing 
 vessels in addition. The women and children were sent on 
 board till these ships were full, and then the Turkish and Tai'tar 
 authorities applied to Admiral Fremantle, but he had received 
 no previous intimation, and could do nothing at the moment. 
 However, he wrote to Sir W. Codrington on the subject, and, as 
 he is a humane man, he will no doubt do all he can to assist 
 these Tartars. When I left Balaklava yesterday there wa-s 
 every prospect of their spending another night in the streets 
 and on the hill sides, nor did their stock of provisions appear 
 very ample. Hitherto, the French have given rations, such as 
 they could spare, to a certain number of Tartars in the valley 
 of Baidar, in return for their services as wood carriers and 
 arabajees. They are a docile, kind-hearted, gentle race, and are 
 much superior in appearance to the Tartars I saw at Kertch and 
 Eupatoria. They have all fine teeth and eyes. Many of the 
 men are very well-looking, and the old men are exceedingly 
 dignified in aspect, and possess great native ease and good breed- 
 ing. The young women possess graceful forms, and are believed 
 to be very pretty, but they are not often seen unveiled, and the 
 old women do not display the least traces of beauty. I have 
 never seen anywhere children more lively and handsome in face 
 than some who were among the emigi-ants yesterday. As I was
 
 THE TATITAR EXODUS. 4.57 
 
 riding through the street some Russian othcers passed, and gave 
 signs of dissatisfaction at the proceedings of the Tartars. The 
 latter were very abject in their bows as their masters passed 
 them. And this is the end of one of the conquering races of 
 the world ! Whether the Tartars deserved their fate, or have 
 been treated badly by fortune, one cannot but feel pity for them, 
 if they are punished for the crimes of their ancestors. They 
 came into the Crimea as conquerors, and they leave it as exiles. 
 It is said that they are going to colonize the Dobrudscha, or to 
 settle at Rustchuk and Kostendje. The first-named place is but 
 a pestiferous marais ; it is a grave to those who visit it, and I 
 sincerely trust that these poor Tartars, in whom we ought to take 
 a great interest, for we have brought upon them this aggravation 
 of the e\'ils of their position, will not be doomed to such misery 
 and certain death as they will tind in the Dobrudscha. The 
 number of families ready to emigrate is stated to be 1500. 
 They declare that all the Tartars in the Crimea would follow 
 their example if they could, and it is worthy the attention of 
 the allied governments to inquire whether facilities should not 
 be offered to save these unfortunate people from the fate which 
 impends over them. The Tartars declare the Russians hate 
 them on account of their sympathies with the allies, and that 
 they will exact a terrible revenge when we are gone. The 
 Tartars still rejoice over the Alma ; they rub their hands with 
 delight at the very name, but it has been to them an unhappy 
 victory. 
 
 May 8. 
 
 The evacuation of the Crimea is taking place with rapidity, 
 and, if it is desirable, there can be no doubt that the allies can 
 leave the soil of the Czar long before the time which has been 
 granted to us — six montlis after the conclusion of the treaty — 
 has expired. The Tartars bring in terrible stories of the revenge 
 taken by the Russians on those unfortunate brethren of theirs 
 who have given aid to the allies, or have been engaged in their 
 service. They tell us that several of these poor creatures have 
 been hanged at Simpheropol, that others have been sent off in 
 exile, and that more are condemned to work on the roads for 
 life. Could not a word be said to avert the -wi-ath of Russia, 
 and to induce her to extend her clemency to the remnants of 
 this miserable race ? 
 
 During the recent exciu'sion of General Windham, in the 
 Banshee, to Kertch and back, an incident took place which
 
 458 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE C1U5IEA. 
 
 sliows very clearlj'- the real character of the Russian Govern- 
 ment, and demonstrates the worthlessneas of the professions 
 whicli it makes. Prince (lag'arin, who holds a command on the 
 south coast, was exti-emely polite in all his communications with. 
 Major-General Cunynghame and the other English officers at 
 Kei-tch and Yenikale, and promised them every facility should 
 they be desirous of visiting the interior, or proceeding to 
 Sebastopol by land. He also specially invited all English officers 
 to visit him at Kaffa (Theodosia) in their way. General 
 Windham, being informed of these little politenesses, resolved 
 to pay a visit to Kaffii on his way back from Kertch. On 
 entering the bay on which the town is situated, they were 
 astonished to perceive a fleet of many sail of merchant vessels 
 lying in quarantine, and they soon were made to understand 
 that the Banshee was in a similar disagreeable situation. Most 
 of these ships had gone up the Sea of Azoff to Tagam-og, and 
 had been sent back again all the way to Xaffii to perform 
 quarantine. The usual quarantine station for the ports in the 
 Sea of Azoff is Kertch, but, as that place is in the hands of the 
 allies, and as the Government establishment is destroyed, the 
 Eussian authorities have for the present selected Kaffa as a sub- • 
 stitute, and vessels bound from the south and east will have a 
 considerable detour to make from the true course, but that is 
 better than being sent back altogether. This is a valuable com- 
 mentary on the statements which have been made that the Czar 
 has given orders to the Minister of the Interior, &c., to remove 
 all resti'ictions on trade — exports and imports. When General 
 Windham and staff were permitted to land they were placed in 
 a small room with bars to the windows like a wild beast cage — 
 a regular quarantine prison in fact ; and when he had prepared 
 a note for Prince Gagarin it was taken fi-om him through the 
 bars by a pair of tongs. The Prince, all gold lace and feathers, 
 soon made his appearance, and received his visitor with great 
 cordiality and politeness thi'ough the bai's. He regretted that 
 his orders were so strict ; he dared not permit the General to 
 ^^sit the tovm without performing quarantine, but if he came 
 round by land he should be most happy to receive liim. Mean- 
 time he had sent off a letter to the General Commanding-in- 
 Chief, and an answer was speedily returned to the effect that 
 the General's orders from the Ministers were so exceedingly 
 stringent that he could not relax them, notwithstanding his 
 most earnest wishes to do so. Genei-al Windham in the course of
 
 MEMORIAL OF THE ALMA. 450 
 
 his interview tliought it necessary to apprize Prince Gagarin 
 that he had seen enough to convince him it would bo riglit to 
 advise the Commander-in-Chief to keep possession of Kertch till 
 all our stores were \\athdrawn — an intimation which seemed not 
 a little to perplex and confound his Excellency. It appears that 
 General Liiders had expressed a \vish that, in the interest of 
 trade, Kertch should be evacuated as speedily as possible, and 
 that steps were being taken to remove the Turkish troops, 
 whose presence was especially objectionable ; but, as General 
 Windham observed, if the port were handed over to the Russian 
 authorities before all the stores were removed, the vessels which 
 were sent for them would be placed in quarantine, and great an- 
 noyance and delay would be experienced. 
 
 Our excursions into the Crimea are becoming rarer as curiosity 
 becomes satisfied, and leave more difficult to be obtained for 
 lengthened absence. General Codrington has paid a visit to the 
 Alma, and most of us who could go have performed a pilgrimage 
 to the same place. The graves are scrupulously respected, and 
 ai-e marked with large stones. The inscription on the stone 
 telegraph tower cut by the French, "La Bataille d'Aima, 20 
 Septembre, 1854," has been altered to " 8th September " by the 
 Russians, to reconcile the date to their old style. The Russians 
 are returning our visits now, and some unfortunate officers who, 
 in the height of goodfellowship and amid flowing bumpers, gave 
 their name and an invitation to their boon companions to " come 
 and stop a week with me, and bring your friends and family," 
 have been horrified by the vision of a couple of droskies at their 
 tent doors, containing a whole bevy of fair Muscovites and their 
 attendant lieges. Major Montague, of the Engineers, is enter- 
 taining at his pretty hut on Kamara-hill, a number of Russian 
 ladies who were kind and attentive to him when he was a 
 prisoner in Simpheropol, and is fortunate in being able to evince 
 his sense of their humanity and good nature. 
 
 Lieutenant-General Lord Rokeby, commanding the First 
 Division, and Lieutenant-General Barnard, commanding the 
 Second Division, are to be made Knights Commander of the 
 Bath, and the latter will go to Corfu as soon as his division shall 
 have been broken up. Lord Rokeby came out to take the com- 
 mand of the Guards in the winter of 1854-55. His Lordship 
 had not the good fortune to he present at either Alma, Inker- 
 mann, or in the attacks on the Redan. General Barnard, also 
 a Guardsman, was an efficient and active chief of the staff under
 
 •iGO TEACE OXCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 General Simpson up to the date of General Windham's appoint- 
 ment, hut he came out after the two great Crimean hattles had 
 been fought, and he was not personally engaged in either of our 
 assaults on the Russian lines. It is believed that ]\Iajor-Cieneral 
 Garrett will be made K.C.I>., at the same time (Jeneral Sir 
 Colin Campbell will .shortly return home, and the officers of the 
 Highland Division, b}' whom he is greatly beloved, intend to 
 give the gallant general a farewell banquet on Saturday next, 
 for admission to which there is eager competition. The position 
 in which this meritorious, brave, and energetic officer has been 
 placed since he came out here could not but be trying to a man 
 of his active habits and of his ardent love of service. He came 
 out at the request of his Sovereign to serve under an officer 
 greatly his junior in the service and with no comparative merits 
 at all as to experience in the field or with the enemy, and he 
 has had no opportunity whatever of exercising command, but 
 has been as inactive as Achilles — eating his heai't in his tent — 
 although the comparison ceases with his isolation — for Colonel 
 Sterling would scarcely pass muster as a Briseis notwith- 
 standing the charms of his conversation and the variety of his- 
 acquireinents. Every one wishes the gallant General well, and 
 the army feels that Sir Colin Campbell will not fail to justify 
 the judgment which may select him for any post where the more 
 valuable qualities of a soldier, such as decision, promptitude of 
 execution, self-devotion, braverj', and personal activity are re- 
 quired. He has gained the esteem of our allies ; but it is felt 
 that in council he would have been the last man to yield to 
 claims of the reasonableness of which he was not perfectly con- 
 vinced, and that he is jealous of the honour and reputation of 
 the British army. 
 
 May 21. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel James, E.E. ; Lieutenant-Colonel Stanton, 
 E.E.; and Captain Gordon, R.E., have started for Bessarabia, 
 t-o survey the line of the new boundary between Ilussia and 
 Moldavia, and to aid the commission with their professional 
 advice and experience. Captain Hammcrsley, Deputy-Assistant- 
 Quartermaster-General, Hcad-C^uarters Staff, and Captain Jjrook, 
 Assistant-Quartcrmaster-General, Fourth Division, two active 
 and intelligent officers, have been selected to proceed to Perckop, 
 and to examine the roads, the bridges across the Sivash at 
 Tchongar and elsewhere, and the country around- Genitchi, 
 Arabat, and Kafla, in order, I suppose, to satisfy the authorities
 
 KOADS, BRIDGES, ETC. 4G1 
 
 that if they had made a forward movement they would have 
 succeeded in forcing the Eussians to iight a pitched battle or to 
 retreat. The staff olKcers of the Eustfian army are busily en- 
 gaged in surveying our camp, and the Commander-in-Chief of 
 the English army has ordered that every facility shall be afforded 
 them. They have closely examined the construction of the 
 railway, and have studied the plans and sections deposited in 
 Sir. Campbell's office at Ealaklava. The questions they asked 
 respecting rails, sleepers, &c., indicated a limited acquaintance 
 with the elements of railwaj- engineering. Dr. Mouatt and 
 another medical officer have returned from a tour in the Crinaea, 
 during which they have minutely inspected the Eussian 
 military hospitals, with a view to prepare a report upon their 
 medical system. That the Eussians will profit by what they 
 see, no one who witnesses their avidity for information and 
 desire of improvement can possibly doubt. They are deeply 
 persuaded of the necessity which exists for making good roads ; 
 but I fear they look upon that necessity as one arising rather 
 out of military and political than peaceful and commercial con- 
 siderations. " None of us ever dream.ed of the Crimea being 
 made the scene of a great campaign, or we should have had 
 good roads, and, possibly, a railroad to Sebastopol." That is 
 their constant remark. The strangest, but the most universally 
 asserted and best attested fact we have learned from our late 
 enemies is this — that had the fire continued, they would have 
 blown up their works and evacuated the south side of the town 
 on the 10th, or at furthest on the 12th of September — that is, 
 either two or four days after the assault. The fire Avas too 
 tremendous and all-searching to be withstood. The officer of 
 one regiment, which garrisoned the Malakhoft'from the evening 
 of the 6th till the evening of the 7th, said they marched in 
 3400 men, with 70 officers, and when they were relieved, 2800 
 men and 51 officers had been killed or wounded by shell and 
 shot. Sometimes a shell rolled down into a bomb-proof and 
 blew up among the dense mass of men inside. Sometimes a 
 round shot, striking one of the massive beams of wood which 
 supported the works, sent a shower of deadly splinters all round 
 it, and the service of the guns was attended with the certainty 
 that almost every gunner would be hit by the French riflemen 
 in the course of the day. The Eussians concm* in saying that 
 they lost more than 2000 men every day of the fire. But then, 
 if they had waited till the 10th, and no assaiilt had been made.
 
 463 PEACE OXCE MORE IN THE CrJMEA. 
 
 what would have occurred ? The lire must have slackened on the 
 9th, for the allies had not the means of continuing it. The 
 Bussians, most likely, more sua, would have plucked up heart 
 of grace, set to work, and been ready for another bombardment, 
 which could not possibly have talcen place for two months. But 
 then winter would have been upon us, and — however, there i.s 
 BO use in supposing. 
 
 Before Sebastopol, May 24. 
 
 The Biutish army is on the move. The Third Division has 
 been broken up, and the Mediterranean stations will soon be 
 filled with regular troops. Even Gozo is threatened with 
 military occupation. This Aveek the 30th Eegiinent, 55th 
 Ecgiment, 92nd Eegiment, 89th Regiment, and 2Sth Regiment, 
 have embarked for their destinations, and Mercer's Battery, 
 together with other portions of the artillery, have been embarked 
 and des])atched from Balaklava. The " Great Britain" received 
 two regiments, the 30t.h and 55th. The others are embarked 
 in large steamers, such as the " Queen of the South," the 
 *' Indiana," the " Sarah Sands," and " Perseverance." 
 
 The weather has been very windy and very foggy throughout 
 the early part of the week. It still blows briskly ii-om the 
 southward. The temperature has been exceedingly low for the 
 time of the year, and the troops are healthy, notwithstanding 
 the appearance of a few cases of ophthalmia among them. 
 
 The departure of General della Marmora and the Sardinian 
 Staff on Monday was marked by every demonstration of the 
 regard and esteem in which they are held b}^ our army. The 
 ships in harbour hoisted the Sardinian flag, the yards of the 
 *' Leander" were manned, and the General set his foot on the 
 deck of the vessel, to which we wished a speedy and prosperous 
 voyage, amid enthusiastic cheers and three rounds of English 
 hui'rahs. The Crimean medals and ribands intended for the 
 Sardinian troops were placed in the hands of General della 
 Marmora some time ago; but he sent them to Turin, judging 
 that the decorations would be most fitly conferred on the troops 
 in the presence, and possibly by the hands of their gallant 
 Sovereign. The good feeling wliich existed between the Sar- 
 dinians and their allies was never marred for one moment by 
 any untoward jealousies or circumstances of rivalry, and more 
 especially were they ever on terms of friendship with the 
 English, although their knowledge of Fi'ench gave them 
 greater facilities for coummuicatin-j: with our allies than are
 
 DEPARTURE OF THE SARDINIANS. 4G3 
 
 possessed by our men. Their position at Fedukhino brought 
 them into constant contact with the French and HighUmders, 
 and they have left behind them many kindly remembrances, not 
 readily to be forgotten. In all my rambles I have rarely, if 
 ever, seen a drunken Sardinian ; their behaviour in camp, in the 
 canteens, at Kadikoi, imd on the roads was exemplary, and T 
 understand, that in the absence of crime, social or military, they 
 claim to rank with the best disciplined army in the world. 
 
 On the occasion of his Excellency's departure, the English 
 Commander-in-Chief issued the following General After- 
 Order : — 
 
 " IIead-Quakteus, Sebastopol, May 17th, 185G. 
 
 "No. 1. The greater part of the Sardinian army has quitted the 
 Crimea, and General della Marmora himself will soon embark. 
 
 "A guard of honour, with artillery, will be held in readiness for the 
 :departure of the Sardinian Commander-in-Chief 
 
 " The Commander of the Forces trusts that General della Slarmora 
 will himself receive, and convey to those whom he has commanded in the 
 Crimea, the good wishes of the English army for their future prosperity. 
 
 " With steadiness, with discipline, with resource, the Sardinian army 
 has long maintained and eiliciently guarded the advanced position 
 entrusted to it ; and ii; bore its honourable share with the troops of France 
 in the battle of the Tchernaya. 
 
 " In our intercourse there has been neither difficulty nor difference, and 
 this good feeling between all the armies of tlie alliance has had a very 
 important influence in determining the peace of Europe. 
 
 " By order, C. A. Windiiaji, Chief of the Staff." 
 
 The attempts to repair the Russian cemeteries have been 
 tolerably successful, and our labour's on those where our own 
 dead lie are nearly brought to a close. As we are about to 
 part for ever, our anxiety to learn more of our late foes in- 
 creases. The Russians survey our camps, we visit their 
 hospitals, study their commissariat, inquire into their military 
 system, and inspect their positions ; our engineers, also, minutely 
 examine the siege-works of our allies, with which they were 
 necessarily but slightly acquainted during the progress of the 
 attack. 
 
 Our approaches to the defences of the place afforded no oppor- 
 tunity to our engineers of developing the use of mines against 
 the enemy, and were not assailable by the same agency on their 
 side for the same reason, as it is obvious that where mines can be 
 used by the attacking force they can also be adopted by the 
 defenders. The French had not the same sort of ground, and 
 the system of French mines in front of the Bastion du Mat pre- 
 sents the most astonishing instance of labour and skill ever wit-
 
 4G4 PEACE ONCE MORE IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 nessed in any siege. To the Eussians, however, belongs the 
 credit of the most imijortant and extensive operations of this 
 nature. Oar engineers have in their possession plans of both 
 the French and Kussian mines and galleries, and tlie tracings 
 resemble a section of a honeycomb. The enemy's mines con- 
 sisted of two series of shafts or galleries and magazines, the first 
 beino- twenty-seven feet below the surface, the second being no 
 less than forty feet below the first. The workmen were sup- 
 plied with air by means of force pumps, and in one magazine at 
 the end of one of these galleries there was found no less than 
 85001b. of powder, all tamped in and ready for firing by electric 
 wires. This magazine would have formed an ctonnoir far in 
 the rear of the French advance, and its probable effects may 
 be estimated when it is considered that the destruction of 
 the docks was eflected by a smaller quantity of gunpowder than 
 was contained in this one mine. Many of the shafts spring out 
 of the counterscarp, and there are numerous chambers cut into 
 the same portion of the ditch of the bastion, which were used as 
 bombproofs by a portion of the garrison. It has also been dis- 
 covered that the Russians had cut a subterranean gallery from 
 inside the parapet, under the ditch, to an advanced Work which 
 they used as a place d'armes in making a sortie, and hitherto 
 it had puzzled the French to understand how the men used to 
 collect in this work without being seen. The eff"ect produced 
 by the French mines in their saps can only be conceived by 
 those who have looked down into the yawning craters of the 
 etonnoirs, after stumbling over the wild chaos of rocks cast up 
 all round by the explosion, just as though the Titans and the 
 Gods had met there in deadly combat. Some of these gulfs 
 resemble the pits of volcanoes. The Russians only intended to 
 fire some of these mines in case of an assault on the Bastion 
 being repulsed under circumstances which gave them a chance of 
 occupying the enemy's advanced saps ; others would have been 
 fired only in case of a retreat from the city, in order to destroy 
 as many of the enemy as possible, and to check pursuit ; and the 
 explosion was intended to destroy not only the French parallels, 
 but the works of the Bastion itself, so as to prevent the French 
 turning the guns. There were two or three mines inside the Redan, 
 and there Avere some extensive galleries and mines in front of 
 the Malakhoff", but it was at the Bastion du Mat, or Flagstaff 
 Battery, that the French and Russians put forth their strength 
 in mine and counter-mine. The galleries are pushed for fiftj'
 
 OUR GRAVES IN THE CRIMEA. 4G5 
 
 yards through the .solid rock in several instances. These labours 
 are of the most stupendous character, and must have proved very 
 exhaustiu": to the garrison. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 OUE GRAVES IN THE CRIMEA AND THE ALMA REVISITED. 
 
 Memorials of the brave — Tour of inspection in the Crime.a — DifBcuIties of 
 the Ru.-sian position — A farcAvel! — Two visits to the Alma — The route 
 — Anecdotes of the battle — Dr. Thompson's heroism — Kecollectioiis. 
 
 June 30. 
 The British army, relieved from the pressure of military duties, 
 and warned of their approaching departure, laboured, regiment 
 by regiment, for many long weeks, to erect memorials to the 
 comrades whose remains will be left behind him by the last 
 Englishman who quits this soil ; and the works of this nature, 
 which their hasty embarcation did not permit them to com- 
 plete, have been undertaken by the few skilled soldier-labourers 
 now belonging to the fragments of the army. The Chersonese 
 is covered with isolated graves, with longer burial-grounds, and 
 detached cemeteries from Balaklava to the verge of the roadstead 
 of Sebastopol. Eavine and plain — hill and hollow — the road- 
 side and secluded valley — for miles around, from the sea to the 
 Tchernaya, present those stark-white stones, singly or in groups, 
 stuck upright in the arid soil, or just peering over the rank 
 vegetation which springs from beneath them. 
 
 I have already described Cathcart's-hill Cemetery. The burial- 
 grounds of the Light and Second Divisions have since attained 
 such dimensions that it would be impossible in a newspaper article 
 to give even an idea of their position, and of the monuments they 
 contain. Without pretending to oifer a guide-book, or to notice 
 the many sad memorials of our losses and sufferings in the 
 Crimea, a brief supplementary notice of some of the principal 
 burial-grounds may not be uninteresting. 
 
 The French have taken but little pains with their graves. 
 One large cemetery has been formed with great care and good 
 taste near the old Inkermann camp, but in general our allies have 
 not enclosed their burial places. The Sardinians have erected a 
 pedestal and obelisk of stone on the heights of Balaklava, close 
 
 VOL. II. H H
 
 AGO OUR GRAVES IN THE CIUMEA. 
 
 to their hospital, to the memory of their departed comrades, and 
 Ave have erected similar monuments on the heights of Inl<er- 
 mann and on the plain of IJalaklava to commemorate the fifth 
 of November and the twenty-tifth of October. These will endm-e 
 for ages if they are permitted to remain untouched by man. 
 
 In front of the salient angle of the Redan, at a few yards from 
 the ditch, a handsome white stone obelisk has been put up, with 
 an inscription to the meraoi'y of those who fell in the assaults on 
 the place, engraved on one of the square slabs at the base. 
 
 At the Malakhoft" there is nothing that I could see but a large 
 wooden cross, at the head of a mound full of dead, with this 
 inscription in white paint (sic) : 
 
 " Unis pour la victoire, 
 Keuni par la mort, 
 Du soldat c'est la gloire, 
 Du brave c'est le sort.' 
 
 Outside the vineyard, at the English head-quarters, there is a 
 small graveyard which contains but two monuments. One, 
 formed of a large horizontal slab of marble, marks the spot 
 where lies the body of our excellent Adjutant-General, and in 
 addition to some Russian inscriptions has the simple words — 
 " To the memory of Major-General J. Bucknall Estcourt, Adju- 
 tant-General of the British army, who died of cholera, June 24, 
 1855. Born 1802." The next is a handsome cross — " To the 
 memory of C. R. Cattley, Esq., who died of cholera while serv- 
 ing on the staff of Lord Raglan, July, 1856." The rest are all 
 nameless. 
 
 In a small enclosure, separated from the natural meadow on 
 the slopes of Inkermann, near the most southerly point of the 
 Russian attack, are three monuments. The centre is a slab of 
 fine white stone lying horizontally on two deep slabs of larger 
 size, so that they form as it were a small flight of steps. It 
 bears a cross at the head and the following inscription : 41st 
 Regiment. Sacred to the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel Car- 
 penter, Captain Richards, Lieutenant Swaby, Lieutenant Taylor, 
 Lieutenant Stirling, who fell at the Battle of Inkermann, Nov. 
 5th, 1854; also of Assistant-Surgeon Lamont, who died on the 
 5th of January, 1855." 
 
 On the left of this is a horizontal monument of stone, 
 inscribed — " Sacred to the memory of Sergeant-Major Spence, 
 41st Regiment, who was killed at the Battle of Inkermann, on 
 the 5tli of November, 1854, aged 28 years ;" and on the right
 
 MEMORIALS OF THE BRAVE. 467 
 
 is a smaller slab — " Sacred to the memory of J. Lillies, private, 
 41st Eegiment, who was killed at the Battle of Inkcnnann." 
 There are many other graves scattered up and down over the 
 slope of the hill, and a large enclosui'e is devoted almost exclu- 
 sively to the 30th Ivegiment. 
 
 It is impossible to go over the ground regularly in a letter, 
 but I have reason to believe that the Engineer officer, Lieute- 
 nant Brine, will execute a plan of all the graveyards in and 
 about the plateau, so that they may be easily identified. In 
 leaving the Inkermann plateau, and proceeding down the Woron- 
 zow-road past the burialground of the Light Division, you come 
 on the rear of Gordon's battery. Here many a poor fellow has 
 been brought to die, and then has found a resting-place near the 
 scene of his last fight. Over one mound there is a stone, 
 " Sacred to tlie memory of E. Chm-chill and W. Lattiman, 
 killed 17th October, and of J. Radmore, killed 18th June, of 
 H.M.S. ' Diamond.' " Further on, behind the first parallel, 
 there is a monument, " Sacred to the memory of Sergeant R. 
 M'Coy, H.M. 55th Regiment, who fell in the assault on the 
 Quarries on the evening of the 7th June. Erected by his 
 affectionate brother, John M'Co}^, Colour Sergeant, 49th Regi- 
 ment." This is an aflecting proof of brotherly love, but some- 
 what further on two soldiers have given a still more conspicuous 
 proof of the same feeling. In front of the third parallel, and 
 just in rear of the Quarries, there is a very handsome stone slab, 
 surroimded with a fine wall of cut stone. The slab is richly 
 ornamented and carved, and bears the following inscription : — 
 " Erected by William and James Weir, 47th Regiment, to the 
 memory of their beloved brother Robert, who was killed in the 
 trenches before Sebastopol on the 12th of July, 1855, aged 31. 
 Also to Sergeant J. Keefe of the same regiment, who was killed 
 at the same time and place. — ' Blessed are the servants whom 
 the Lord when he comes shall find watching.' — Luke xii." 
 
 In a secluded ravine, on(;e busy with frequent marches and 
 resounding with the roar of cannon, the bursting of shells, and 
 the turmoil of the neighbouring camps, lie all that was mortal 
 of those of the Naval Brigade who rest in the Crimea. The 
 cemetery is enclosed by a wall, and is entered by a gateway, 
 in good preservation. The first stone which strikes the eye is 
 a handsome vertical slab of marble, with a ci'oss engraved, and 
 the inscriptions, " Requiescat in pace. Sacred to the memory of 
 Lieutenant E. H. Hughes D'Aeth, late First Lieutenant of Her 
 
 HH 2
 
 •iCS OUR GRAVES IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 Majesty ship ' Sidon,' who, after having served nine months 
 on shore with the Naval Brigade, died of cholera August 7, 
 1855, aged 34 years. This stone is erected by the captain and 
 officers of Her Majesty's ship ' Sidon,' in testimony of their 
 esteem and regard." The second grave is inscribed, " Sacred to 
 the memory of J. Nichols, who was killed in action on the 8th 
 of September, 1855, aged 24. ' Unto the Lord I lift up my 
 soul.' " The third is a simple memorial, " To the memory of 
 William Barry, 1855. ' Him that cometh to me I will in 
 nowise cast off.' " No. 4. " To J. Pinhorn, late gunners' 
 mate, Her IMajesty's ship * Albion ;' May 6, 1855 ; aged 32." 
 No. 5. " In memory of W. Hubank, W. Jones, S. Smith, and 
 S. Wallace, killed in action ; erected by the crew of Her Majesty's 
 ship ' Albion,' in token of their respect." No. 6. " In 
 memory of William Haynes, Her Majesty's ship ' Albion,' 
 killed in Greenhill Battery, April 9." No. 7. " To John 
 Mullet, Her Majesty's ship ' Leander.' " No. 8. " To' C. 
 Gaston, Her Majesty's ship ' Leander.' " No. 9. " To J. 
 Tobin, died of wounds received in action." Beneath is this 
 quaint inscription : — 
 
 " I am ancliored here below with many of the fleet, 
 But once again we will set sail our Admiral Christ to meet." 
 
 In the noi-th-west angle of the enclosure are four gi-aves witliout 
 stones. In the second row are seventeen graves, of which eiglit 
 are marked by headstones. In the third row there are thirteen 
 graves, two of which liave slabs and inscriptions to the memory 
 of seamen, named Collis and Hughes. The third grave is dis- 
 tinguished by a fine slab — " To the memory of Lieutenant W. 
 H. Douglas, E.N., Her Majesty's ship ' Queen,' killed 11th 
 April while serving in the battery with the Eoyal Naval 
 Brigade at the siege of Sebastopol." Next is a fine monument 
 — " Sacred to the memory of Lieutenant S. Twyford, R.N., who 
 was killed by the fire from the Eussian trenches while serving 
 with the Naval Brigade, April 9, 1855." At the foot there is 
 a handsome slab, with a similar inscription in Eussian cha- 
 racters. In the same row (No. 5) there is a substantial and 
 massive monument — " In memory of Henry John Spalding, 
 E.N., mate of Her Majesty's ship * London,' killed in the 
 trenches before Sebastopol on the 21st of January, 1855." No. 
 6 is to " E. Gardner, Her IMajesty's ship ' London,' killed 
 April tlic 9th, 1855." In the fourth row there are thirteen
 
 THE NAVAL BRIGADE. 4G0 
 
 graves — No. 1 is to " J. Arnold, Her IMajesty's ship ' Leancler,' 
 killed on the 8th of June, 1855." No. 2. to " J. Pascoe, Her 
 Majesty's ship ' Leander,' killed "on the 9th of June, 1855." 
 No. 3, to " G. Cass, Her Majesty's ship ' Leander,' killed in 
 the storming party at the Redan on the 18th of June, 1855." 
 No. 5 is a large and well-executed tomb with inscriptions on the 
 slabs in English and Russian. It is inscribed, " In memory of 
 Lacon Ussher Hammett, Commander R.N., of Her Majesty's 
 ship ' London,' who was killed in the trenches before Sebas- 
 topol, August 17, 1855, while serving with the Naval Brigade 
 and in command of its butteries of the right attack." In the 
 fifth row are thirteen graves. No. 1 is a small stone " Sacred 
 to the memory of Lieutenant T. O. Kidd, killed in the action 
 before Sebastopol, June 18, 1855 ; aged 21." No. 2 is to " E. 
 Collins, January 7, 1855." The other graves are nameless. On 
 the sixth row tliere are thirteen graves, of which only one is 
 provided with any memorial, and this one is a large slab of 
 wood already decaying, and inscribed as follows : — " Sacred to 
 the memory of the following seamen of Her Majesty's ship 
 ' Queen,' serving in the Naval Brigade before Sebastopol — 
 George Sullivan, E. Eames, R. Ladrick, W. Good, J. Morrows, 
 J. Duggan, J. Davison, F. M. Collier, W. Soulsby, J. Trim, J. 
 Bryant, N. Harvey, W. Jones, B. Taylor, H. Hill, W. M'Donald, 
 F. Eddy, J. Symons, H. J. Bazing, J. Corbally, J. Phillips, S. 
 "Welch, J. Blewitt, J. Medlin, J. Coffin, Pat Mahoney, R. Johns, 
 T. Lanehan, T. Clark, H. Chester, and F. Driver." In the 
 seventh row are fourteen graves. No. 1 a wooden slab, " Sacred 
 to the memory of J. Price, J. Reed, W. Davidson, and E. 
 Quinn, who fell in action in the execution of their duty on the 
 18th of June ; also of J. Murphy, J. Ennis, and JMichael Ivearns, 
 who fell in the storming party the same day, much lamented by 
 their shipmates, of Her Majesty's ship ' Rodney.' " No. 2 is a 
 lai'ge wooden slab — " Sacred to the memory of J. Glanville, 
 killed 9th of April, aged 28 ; S. Turner, killed in action April 
 11th, aged 25 ; J. Woodford, killed in action 14th of April ; D. 
 Logan, killed in action 6th of June ; J. Lane, W. Wheeler, R. 
 Morris, J. Callinane, J. ]3rooks, J. Swift, T. Short, FuUerton P. 
 Donaghue. This board is erected by the ship's company of Her 
 Majesty's ship ' Wasp,' in token of respect to their departed 
 shipmates." The grass grows green over these graves, and 
 numberless wild flower.s have sprung up in the rich mould of the 
 ravine. The enclosure is but a short way from the site of the
 
 470 OUR GRAVES IX THE CRIMEA. 
 
 ciimp of the Naval Brigade, but It is situated on the left-haud 
 side of the ravine as you descend towards Sebastopol, whereas 
 the sailors pitched their tents on the right-hand side. 
 
 By the side of the road from BalakUiva to the front there are 
 two graveyards filled with slabs and with monuments in cut 
 stone, one erected by the Army Works Corps to their own officers 
 and men who died here ; the other, the work of the same corps, 
 in memory of the officers and men of the Land Transport Corps 
 who fell by sickness in the Crimea. 
 
 In the plain below the site of the Tm-kish camp, near head- 
 quarters, stands a solitary grave. It is enclosed by a substantial 
 stone wall, and the head is marked by a handsome slab of oolite, 
 or white sandstone, with an ornamental carving above an in- 
 cised cross. On the body of the stone is engraved — " Sacred to 
 the memory of Colonel Balfour Ogilby, who died July 12th, 
 1855. — This stone was erected as a mark of respect by his 
 brother officers." Such isolated records are not uncommon. Poor 
 Ogilby ! I travelled with him to the East when he came out in 
 February, 1854, to seek service in the Turkish army under his 
 friend Colonel Cannon, and I soon heard of his distinguishing 
 himself at Silistria, and subsequently of his gallant behaviour at 
 Eupatoria. While the Turkish army was lying inactively on 
 the hills near Lord Raglan's quarters, he sickened and died just 
 at the very time that Omar Pasha had triumphed over the 
 scruples and objections of the allied generals to the removal of 
 his troops to Kutais. 
 
 The burial-ground of the non-commissioned officers and men 
 of the Brigade of Guards is enclosed by a substantial wall. It 
 is entered by a handsome double gate, Ingeniously constructed 
 of wood, and Iron hoops hammered out straight, and painted, 
 which Is hinged on two massive pillars of cut stone, with orna- 
 mental capitals, each surmounted by* a cannon ball. There are 
 six rows of graves, each row containing thirty or more bodies. 
 Over each of these is either a tomb-stone or a mound, fenced in 
 by rows of white stones, with the Initials or sometimes the 
 name of him who lies below, marked on the mould by means of 
 pebbles. Facing the gate, and close to It stands a large stone 
 ci'oss, erected on a series of four massive blocks of the same 
 material. On the west face of the block supporting the cross 
 are the words — " Grenadiers, Coldstreams, Scots Fusilier Guards, 
 A.D. 185G." On the opposite face Is the following inscription — 
 " To the memory of the non-commissioned officers and men of
 
 DIFFICULTIES OF THE RUSSIAN TOSITIOX. 471 
 
 the brigade of Guards, who fell in the Crimea, this cross was 
 erected by their surviving comrades, a.d. 1856." There are but 
 few monumental stones in this cemetery ; one is a stone cross, 
 with tlie inscription, " Sacred to the memory of Lieutenant A. 
 Hill, 22nd Kegiment, who died June 21, 1855. This stone was 
 erected by his friends in the Crimea." Another is " In memory 
 of Sei-geant-Major Rennie, 93rd Highlanders. Erected by a 
 friend." A third is " Sacred to the memory of Sergeant George 
 Mancor. Erected by a friend." A fourth is to " Quarter- 
 master J. SI'Donald, 72ud Regiment, who died, on the IGth of 
 September, from a wound received in the trenches before Sebas- 
 topol on the 8th of September, aged thirty-five years." 
 
 The little tour made by Major Hanimersley, Captain Brooke, 
 and Mr. Sinclair in the north of the Crimea only demonstrated 
 , more cleai-ly the enormous difficulties experienced by our enemies 
 in maintaining their position. It did more ; it satisfied every 
 one who heard their confii-mation of previous details, that if the 
 allies had advanced after the 8th of September, and followed the 
 enemy, supposing they retreated, or forced their position and 
 defeated them in case they stood, the whole Russian army of the 
 South must have surrendered prisoners of war, and that Cher- 
 son, Berislaff, Nicholaieff", and Odessa would have been seriously 
 menaced. All the north side, its guns, its garrison, all the mate- 
 riel, all the pi'ovisions and magazines of Eakshiserai and Sim- 
 pheropol, must have fallen into our hands, and about 60,0(30 or 
 70,000 men. " But why so ?" some one will ask " Could 
 they not have got away ?" Most certainly not. There are 
 but two outlets from the Crimea ; the first is by the isthmus 
 at Perekop, the second is by the bridge over the Putrid Sea at 
 Tchongar. The approach to these outlets lies over waterless, 
 foodless plateaux, broken up by deep salt lakes. The welis, 
 which yield a scanty supply of disagreeable water, are profound 
 pits, of which the shallowest is 100 feet, and many are as deep 
 as 150 to 250 feet. They are scattered over the country very 
 sparely, and they contain but little water. Under such circum- 
 stances, the Russians have been obliged to pour in their rein- 
 forcements by dribblets, to carry water whenever they wanted to 
 push on even a single regiment, and to take the greatest care 
 of the wells on their way ; in one word, it was impossible for 
 them ever to have marched a body of 5000 or 6000 men by 
 either of those routes in diy weather. Imagine bow helpless 
 Avould have been the position of an army of 70.000 or 80,000
 
 473 OUR GRAVES IN THK CRIMEA. 
 
 men of all arms, broken and dispirited, hemmed in by this salt 
 prairie and by the waters of the Sivash, and struggling in vain 
 to reach those outlets under a burning sun, and pressed by a 
 victorious enemy. They could not march, nor, if they once got 
 away, could we have pursued ; but no General in his senses 
 would have risked the entire destruction of his army by retreat- 
 ing vmder circumstances like those from the south of the Crimea ; 
 and the Russians confess their position was hopeless had they 
 been attacked and beaten at any point along their lines. It is 
 believed, indeed, by many persons that Marshal Pelissier re- 
 ceived orders from the Emperor after the fall of Sebastopol not 
 to attempt anything further against the enemy, inasmuch as 
 the glory of the arms of France had culminated at the Mala- 
 khoff, and the prospect of an agi-eeable peace was visible to the 
 keen eye of the accomplished politician. If such were indeed 
 the case, the Czar is under deep obligations to his Imperial 
 cousin. As to the English Generals, since Lord Ilaglan's 
 death, and even, according to M. de Bazancourt, before it, they 
 rather repi^esented, in their relations with the French, the 
 Blakes and Cuestas of Spain with Wellington, than those of our 
 Marlboroughs with the Eugenes of past time ; and even if we 
 had had a larger army than France, I doubt if our Simj^sons 
 and Codringtons could hold their own against the persistence 
 and brusque determination of our allies in council. When our 
 travellers were at Perekop, they observed that the defences of 
 the place, such as they were, consisted of redoubts du'ected 
 against an advance from Russia Proper, and not from the south 
 of the Crimea, and they made a similar discovei'y at Tchongar, 
 where the tete-de-pont was strongly fortified towards the north, 
 and was open towards the south. These works were, in fact, 
 mostly thrown up at the time of the Kinburn expedition, which 
 the Russians very naturally believed to be the precursor of an 
 immediate operation against their army in the Crimea, to the 
 results of which they looked with very great apprehension. At 
 Perekop they found General Von Wrangel, who received them 
 with much hospitality and kindness. The old Tai'tar citadel 
 and the remains of a wall and parapet are still visible ; but the 
 defences of the place are very weak ; water is very scarce, and 
 very bad ; but the climate is healthy, except when the wind 
 blows across the Sivash. So miserable was the condition of the 
 Russians, however, that no less than 25,000 men were killed by 
 sickness and disease at Perekop, and theii' bodies lie in the 
 
 I
 
 TOUR OP INSPECTION. 473 
 
 earth around that fatal village. There were large hospitals and 
 ambulances established here, but, large as they were, they were 
 far too small for the demands upon them, and many convoys of 
 sick had to be sent on to Cherson, Berislafl", and Nicholaiclf. At 
 Tchongar the tourists were refused permission to pass the 
 bridge, and that refusal was confirmed by the General com- 
 manding at Genitchi, to whcnn they applied to rescind the deci- 
 sion of his subordinate. They examined the bridge, however, 
 and found it was well and substantially built of wood. The 
 waters of the Sivash ai-e as clear as crystal, and are so intensely 
 bitter that no fish frequents them except a small flounder. The 
 bottom consists of a stratum of fine shells, of two or three 
 inches in thickness, just sufficient to bear a man treading lightly 
 \ipon it, but if one presses with all his weight down on this 
 crust of shells it breaks beneath his feet, and up rushes a quan- 
 tity of black mud and a bubbling stream of stinking gas, pro- 
 bably sulphvu-etted hydrogen, which has perhaps obtained for 
 this lagoon such an unseemly title. 
 
 The banks are high and steep, and in the centre of the stream 
 there is a channel, about nine feet deep, all the way from 
 Genitchi to the bridge of Tchongar. The use of the word 
 " stream" may be objected to by those who are not aware that 
 this sea presents the curious phenomenon of a steady current 
 running from Genitchi west to Perekop, where there is no out- 
 let whatever, so that there must be an under current out again, 
 or, as the natives believe, a prodigious evaporation on the shoals 
 at the extremity of the sea. Another interesting point our 
 friends visited was the Fortress of Arabat, which, it may be 
 recollected, was bombarded for several hours by the allied 
 squadron of light steamers and gun-boats immediately after they 
 entered the Sea of Azofl". This bombardment was made much 
 of at the time, and figures perhaps as one of those glorious 
 achievements in that sea of which we have been recently as- 
 tonished to hear. The fact is, however, that not only was little 
 or no harm done to the fortress, but that the Russians claim it 
 as a victory, and have promoted the officer who commanded for 
 " beating oft' the allied fleet." Such will always be the result of 
 an attack by sea on any land defences so long as the enemy 
 retain one gun to five when the attack has ceased ; and it appears 
 bad policy to bombard any fortress, unless it is done with the 
 determination of smashing and silencing every piece within its 
 walls. The Spit of Arabat was very little used at any time by
 
 471 OUR GRAA^ES IN THE CRIMEA. 
 
 the enemy, and a curious instance of the ignoi'ance of our chart- 
 makers was discovered on referring to the sites of wells marked 
 on the maps. There were no wells on the Spit at all, and that 
 for the simple reason that they were not required. The water 
 of the Sea of Azoff close to the Spit is quite fresh, and can be 
 drimk with safety by man or beast. The salt lakes are very 
 conspicuous features in the desolate scenery of northern Crimea. 
 They are surrounded by very high precipitous banks ; and the 
 waters seem black from their great depth. One of these, Lake 
 Veliki, is connected with Perekop by the line of redoubts, seven 
 in number, recently constructed. Wherever these abound, fresh 
 water is rare, and the ^vells are deep. Each village has about 
 two wells, and the supply is so small that it would take a day 
 at any one station to water a regiment of cavalry. In the south 
 there is abundance of fresh water, of blooming valleys, of fruit, 
 corn, vines, and forest trees ; but for the cultivation and growth 
 of these, Russia is mainly indebted to the industrious German 
 colonists. Kronthal, Neusatz, Friedenthal, Eosenthal, Zurich- 
 thai,, Heilbronn, and other villages founded by these industrious 
 people, are patterns of neatness and frugal comfort. Most of 
 the emigrants came from Wurtemburg, and they still think and 
 speak fondly of " fatherland," but the Russians give them small 
 ground for complaint. They are exempt from all military 
 service for 100 years, and their only tribute to the State is a 
 capitation tax of twenty silver roubles, which they are in general 
 well able to pay. It is now proposed to extend those settlements, 
 and to introduce on a very large scale the system of military 
 colonies, to be peopled by pure Russians. Vast as the popula- 
 tion of Russia is in the aggregate, the extent of her territory is 
 such that, in the present state of internal communication, it is 
 difficult for her to concentrate troops, notwithstanding the ruth- 
 less system of conscription, compulsory levies, and percentage 
 enlistments. Towards the end of the war, Sebastopol swallowed 
 up her armies by whole divisions, and a battalion a-day was 
 engulfed in the yawning craters of our shells. The march of a 
 regiment through a country such as has been described was as 
 fatal as a battle, and it was customary to estimate the reduction 
 in strength caused by moving from Odessa to Sebastopol at 
 35 per cent, hors de combat. During the worst days of its 
 trials the Russian army in the Crimea lost 500 men a-day ! 
 This does not include casualties caused in the siege. The attention 
 of theii" medical men has been directed to the enormous losses of
 
 GOOD BYE TO THE CRIMEA. 475 
 
 their army, and to its extreme miliealthiness in campaigns ; 
 and a Board, consisting of a few of their most eminent men, 
 has made minute inquiries into the medical administration of 
 the allied armies. Tliey were greatly impressed with what they 
 saw at Bahiklava, and one of them exclaimed, " We heard you 
 were prepared for a three years' war ; we lind j-^ou are ready for 
 twenty." Throughout their long and interesting tour of forty- 
 two days on horseback, the little party, whose course I have 
 briefly indicated, were received with the greatest kindness and 
 hospitality by all the Russians except on one occasion. The 
 General at Perekop was particularly kind, and his Staff were so 
 attentive that our otHcers exchanged swords with them, and, 
 having sent those they got in return to Simpheropol, they com- 
 pleted the greater part of the tour unarmed. To General 
 Wrangel they also were indebted for much kindness and con- 
 sideration. 
 
 As the " Calcutta" cleared out of the harbour, the crews of 
 the " Leander" and " Sanspareil" gave the gallant ship and 
 her cargo three cheers spontaneously — an unusual compliment 
 from men-of-wai*'s men. The Hussars returned the cheers, and 
 in a few moments more the shores of the Crimea were fading 
 from the view with the last rays of the setting sun, lighting the 
 frowning clifls of Cape Aya, and burnishing up the copper- 
 coloured rocks which lined the rugged coast. The men relapsed 
 into silence. " How happy should I be, only I'm thinking of 
 the poor fellows we leave behind," said a soldier, after" a pause. 
 " Yes ! but they did their work, and we have no cause to be 
 ashamed of them, thank God !" was the reply of his neighbour ; 
 " and so good-bye to the Crime;v !" 
 
 Camp before Sebastopol. 
 
 I have now gone twice to the Alma, and have examined 
 the ground of the battle with the ignorance of a civilian and 
 the interest of a Briton. The road from the plateau, on 
 which for one long year the hopes and fears and anxieties of 
 civilized Eui'ope were concenti-ated, leads down from the ridge 
 on which the battle of Inkermann was mainly fought to the 
 deep ravine out of which the materials for the mansions, quays, 
 harbours, docks, and forts of Sebastopol have been hewed. It 
 presents a wild and desolate aspect. The graves of the slain 
 are numerous. The slabs of oolite tower perpendicularly for 
 several Imndred feet on the right hand and the left to the verge 
 of the elevated plateau, and rise, like great white walls of
 
 47 G THE ALMA REVISITED. 
 
 masonry, aloft from a base of huge blocks and disintegrated 
 masses of the same substance. This ravine, deepening as it 
 descends, falls at right angles to the valley through which the 
 Tchernaya eats its way to the head of the Roads of Sebastopol. 
 At the lower end of the ravine the aqueduct spans it, and then 
 is carried on a light and handsome bridge of masoniy, supported 
 on some ten or twelve arches right across, and disappears in a 
 tunnel through the solid rock on the left hand side. Passing 
 underneath, through one of the arches, you find yourself by the 
 banks of the sluggish Tchernaya, and a ride of 500 yards or so 
 past the perpendicular cliff's, perforated with caves, which bound 
 the margin of the valley, leads you to the causeway across the 
 marsh towards Inkermami. An excellent wooden bridge, built 
 by our engineers, stretches across the river, and the marsh be- 
 yond is crossed by a high causeway. At the near end are our 
 guard tents ; and the pass is kept by Russian and English 
 sentries, who seem on very good terms with each other. Arrived 
 to the end of the causeway, the cliffs of northern Inkermann are 
 above you, and the road winds up to a i-avine which leads you 
 to their recesses. A curious chapel and monkery in the caves 
 are visible in the face of the cliff". Embrasures are above, be- 
 fore, and on each side of you on entering these fastnesses. The 
 black pupils of these dull eyes have been removed, but there is 
 enough of the works left to show how hot and frequent they 
 could have flashed on you in their anger. There ai'e five 
 batteries on various points of this ravine, and the slopes of the 
 plateau aSbrd many fine sites for field artillery or guns of 
 position. The road is good. On the right, about a mile fi-om 
 the entrance of the ravine, are numerous deep shafts in the clay, 
 from which the Russians draw their supply of water. The road 
 winds gradually upwards till it leads you to the level of the 
 north plateau of Inkermann, just as the Quarries road took you 
 down from the south plateau to the level of the valley of the 
 Tchernaya, from which you are now ascending. Here is the 
 Russian camp, at which we have so often gazed from the 
 heights on the right of our position. It is now very much 
 altered in appearance. The huts have been abandoned, and the 
 men are living in a veiy pretty, clean, and well-kept camp of 
 canvas, but the purlieus are very dirty, and have the usual 
 disagreeable smell of Russian quarters. The tents are square 
 in shape, and at the top, which tapers to a point from the side 
 of the wall, there is a knob, gilt or painted, which gives them
 
 THE RUSSIAN CAMP, 477 
 
 an air of fimisli. The paths or streets of the camp are horderod 
 with wild flowers and iir branches. The regiments stationed 
 here belong to the Seventh Division, which forms the First 
 Division of the third corps d'annee, and are as well as I 
 could ascertain, the 13th (Smolensko) and 14th (Politsch), and 
 number about OOOO men. There is a brigade of tield artillery — 
 two batteries — close to this camp, and the pieces are very well 
 kept, and in excellent condition. The cantonments extend as 
 far as the heights over the valley of the 15elbek on the left hand 
 side, and could have contained about 18,000 men, which con- 
 siderably exceeds the strength of the whole of the Seventh 
 Division. A steep road descending from the verge of the 
 plateau, at the point where the Russian bazaar is established, 
 leads to the Belbek, which is crossed by two bridges. One of 
 these is a fine, well-built new structure of wood ; the other is 
 that by wbicb the army crossed in the flank march, and the 
 post-house near whicli Sir George Cathcart took up his quarters 
 still remains intact. The Fourth Division bivouacked here the 
 night before we entered Balaklava, when Lord l\aglan slept at 
 Traktir, on the Tchernaya, and Sir George was very uneasy, on 
 account of his isolated position, separated, as he was, from the 
 rest of the army, and believing that a body of Ivussians inter- 
 vened between them. It was from this that General Windham 
 rode with despatches to the Katcha, anticipating Commander 
 Maxse's arrival from the Tchernaya by more than half-an-hour, 
 and from this neighbourhood the army turned towards Mac- 
 kenzie. Lord Raglan reconnoitred Sebastopol from a hillock 
 close to the road on the right, a short time before we fell in 
 with the rear-guard and baggage of the enemy. Duvarkoi, or 
 Belbek, is greatly changed since then — the trees have been cut 
 down, and the valley, once so beautiful, blooms no more. The 
 villas have been used as hospitals, and there are many Russian 
 graves, marked with black wooden crosses, in the neighbouring 
 ravines. From this valley you ascend another steep hill to the 
 top of the plateau which lies between it and the valley of 
 the Katcha. The ground is covered with dwarf trees and 
 thick brushwood, full of lizards and small birds, whicli 
 are persecuted by numerous falcons and hawks. There are 
 patches of naked ground and ashes scattered over the plateau, 
 which show where parties of the enemy were encamped ; but 
 the country is not suited for large bodies of men, as water 
 is not to be had, except at the rivers. The plateau is inter-
 
 478 THE ALMA REVISITED, 
 
 sected by numerous woody ravines, and the tracks followed by 
 the allied armies are plainly visible. They have been much 
 used by the Russians. A ride of three-quarters of an hour 
 takes us to the valley of the Katcha, still beautiful and rich 
 with verdure, for this part of it is too far from the immediate 
 operations of war, and too much out of the track from Bakshi- 
 serai, to have suffered much. The place which we approach was 
 once the village of Eskel ; it is now in ruins. The Tartar houses 
 are pulled down or unroofed ; the population have fled ; and the 
 Russian houses are just as they were left by the Cossacks on our 
 approach after the Alma. The chm'ch gleams brightly through 
 the dense branches of the fruit trees, which are covered with 
 blossoms, but the large tracts of vineyards which welcomed us 
 nearly three years ago, are now uncultivated. The Doctor's 
 house is in a sad plight, one of the first we entered after the Alma, 
 and is still the picture of neglect and ruin. Lord Raglan's 
 comfortable residence is in the custody of an old Tartar, who 
 shows the broken furniture, the sofas ripped open, the chairs 
 smashed, and the beds cut up, with great pride, and leads one 
 to infer pretty plainly that Ruskie did all the mischief. It was 
 at this village that the Russians halted to recover breath after 
 their headlong flight from the Alma, and from it they fled the 
 same night in panic on the cry being raised that the allies 
 were coming. The Katcha is a deep narrow stream with rotten 
 banks, and some people think it would have afforded a better 
 position than the Alma ; but, in fact, it is too near Sebastopol. 
 We found a few Russian soldiers in the houses ; and on the 
 first occasion it happened to be the Greek Easter Sunday, and 
 we were most hospitably entertained by a poor Russian family, 
 who insisted on our partaking of painted eg^s, of salt pork 
 steeped in vinegar, and cabbage, of brown bread, butter, vodka, 
 or white home-made brandy, and Crim tobacco, and then on 
 embracing us because we were Christians — a severe punish- 
 ment, which, if often repeated, might lead to recantation. Cross- 
 ing the Katcha by the bridge over which our army filed into 
 Eskel, we find ourselves on the steppe — the dry barren plain 
 studded with tumuli,, which extends in wavy folds right away to 
 Perekop. At this season of the year it is glorious with large 
 beds of wild flowers, sweet pea, roses, mignonette, thyme, 
 orchids of all kind, sweet William, and many other varieties, 
 whose tame and developed species are the ornaments of our gar- 
 dens at home ; it is musical, too, with the song of birds singing
 
 TELEGRAPH STATIONS. 479 
 
 to their mates in the nest ; hut in Reptemher it is an arid, 
 scorched waste, covered with coarse hay, and, as it is devoid of 
 water, it is nnfit ibr pastura<^e. The ride to the Ahna from the 
 Katcha is not more tlian eight miles, but it seems twice the dis- 
 tance. The white telegraph station over the river, which stood 
 on the Eussian left, can he seen for many miles on a clear day, 
 but on the steppe mirage is very common, and the horizon is 
 rarely well-defined. It is often lost in a fantastic margin resem- 
 bling the sea-line of an agitated ocean. Bustards, on the qui 
 vive about their young ones, soar slowly before us, and eagles, 
 vultures, and many species of falcons are visible in pursuit of 
 their prey, which must consist for the most part of hares, which 
 are very large and numerous. Some of these hares have been 
 found to weigh ten or twelve pound, and I have heard of a 
 monster who turned the scale at fourteen pound. In one of 
 the hollows in the steppe, about three miles from the Alma, 
 there is a small hamlet, but, with this exception, not a habita- 
 tion is visible over the whole of this vast expanse of land. It 
 is famous ground for a long canter, or as much of a gallop as 
 your horse will stand ; so with the help of an occasional scurry 
 after a hare the distance melts awaj", and as we go crushing 
 through the sweet flowers, the telegraph rises higher and clearer 
 till we pull up at the foot of the mound on which it stands. 
 This was the scene of a fierce struggle, and it was here the 
 French had some really hard fighting before they forced the 
 enemy to fly. The telegi'aph is a quadrilateral figure of white 
 stone, and it has never been finished. It is covered with names ; 
 and on one side is engraved " La Bataille d'Alma, 8 Sep- 
 temhre." The French had put the right date, the 20th ; but 
 the Russians obliterated it, and altered it to their own style. 
 There are 15 large sepulchral mounds around the telegraph, 
 wherein lie French and Russians, and the ravines are still full 
 of bones, and of fragments of clothing and accoutrements. 
 Cannon-shot appear to have been carefully removed. There is 
 an excellent view of the French position and attack from the 
 edge of the plateau. The enemy must have had every move- 
 ment of the allies under their eyes from the time they left 
 Eouljanak till they halted to form for battle ; and the spectacle 
 could not have been one to have given them much courage, or 
 to have influenced their ardour. The Russians declare they had 
 only 33,000 or 34,000 on the field ; but, admitting that to be 
 so, they made a bad fight, considering the position they occupied,,
 
 480 THE ALMA KEVISITED. 
 
 and their cavalry exhibited that passive and unenterprising cha- 
 racter whicli it maintained throughout the war. An officer of 
 the old Pestal regiment told me that he charged our first 
 attacking body when they were checked with the bayonet, and 
 that if all the troops inside and on the flanks of the redoubts 
 had rushed out simultaneously, the day would have been lost 
 to us ; but he was rather surprised when he heard that our 
 Third and Fourth Divisions were still intact, and that the 
 Guards, whom he supposed to have been routed, were never 
 broken except in the centre, where the Scots Fusiliers wavered 
 for a time in their advance under the heavy fire of the Russians 
 and the pressure of the disjointed groups of the Light Division. 
 The French are disposed to think that the English were too 
 slow in beginning the attack, which it was agreed should not 
 take place till our allies had gained the left of the Russian 
 position. It is certain that Lord Raglan received one, if not 
 two, pressing messages from Marshal St. Arnaud to hasten his 
 columns : but one may ask how it was that here, as everywhere 
 else, the honour of taking the initiative was ceded to our allies, 
 and the opportunity given to them of saying " The English 
 were too late." They only numbei-ed 23,000, whereas we had 
 about 27,000. If it resulted from their position on our right, 
 why did they take the left when we halted before Sebastopol ? 
 The assaidts on the place were made on the same principle — the 
 French first, the English afterwards ; and, whether it be true or 
 false that we were " too late," there can be no doubt there was 
 from the beginning a tendency to say so. It is beyond question, 
 in the opinion of many officers, that the Light Division were 
 not followed closely enough by the First in their advance up the 
 hill at the Alma. In other words, the latter were too slow or 
 " too late." The French did their part admu-ably, and their in- 
 telligence and personal activity were wonderfully displayed in 
 their progress up the steep ravines and sides of the high banks 
 of the plateau, but their loss in killed and wounded was 
 vmder 700 men, while ours was just 2000. The Admiral Bouet 
 Willaumez, in his recent so-calleA Jlistor^ of t/ie French Navy, 
 distinctly avers that the English General would not permit the 
 victory to be followed up by marching next day, and that the 
 French were retarded by their allies. A different impression 
 prevails in our army, but this is one of the points which must 
 be cleared up for history by those who were in the confidence of 
 Lord Raglan. The statement, at all events, shows what was
 
 I 
 
 DR. THOMPSONS HEROISM. 481 
 
 the Lolief of the cJief d'etat major of the French r^axj in the 
 Black Sea. Of the necessity and of the motives for the delay, 
 of its results, of the practicahilit}- of getting such aid from the 
 fleet as would have relieved us entirely from the charge of sick, 
 wounded, and prisoners, I shall not speak ; hut it is to be re- 
 marked that the feebleness and imbecility of om* arrangements 
 in this portion of om* administration became apparent at the 
 very fii-st pressui'e by the abandonment of our ambulances just at 
 the very time they were most needed, by the disgraceful ex- 
 hibition of the "Kangaroo" crowded with sick and wounded till 
 she had to make the signal that she was unmanageable and un- 
 safe in the sight of the whole fleet, by the sufl'erings of her 
 miserable cargo, left to the charge of one surgeon, who could 
 not attend to a tithe of his patients, and who could not even, 
 get at them if he could have dressed their wounds, and by the 
 wretched, foolish, and cruel expedient of leaving another surgeon, 
 l\Ii-. Thompson, and his servant on the field to take care of 700 
 wounded men. Dr. Thompson felt the hopelessness and positive 
 criielty of such a proceeding, and remonstrated against it, 
 but he was told it had been " ordered," and that if the 
 "Cossacks" came down his "professional character" would 
 protect him. Standing on the banks of the Alma, one has 
 many bitter reflections to make, and all the glories of that 
 name cannot sweeten them. The battle itself was one of 
 the most brilliant in the world — the shortest and sharpest, 
 and our army, young in battle but veteran in service, displayed 
 the best qualities of British infantry. We have since heard of 
 the incredulity, of the dismay, with which the news was re- 
 ceived in St. Petei'sburg, and of the subsequent eagerness of the 
 Russian army to avenge the defeat and to huny to the Crimea, 
 to di'ive the allies into the sea. They found a barrier they could 
 not break at Inkermann ; but they are a people prone to put 
 faith in their own invincibility, and slow to credit defeat, and 
 they believe in themselves even yet. The position of the Alma 
 is so well marked that it can never be mistaken by any future 
 visitors. The French attacked the steep and almost perpen- 
 dicular cliffs, which are broken here and there by ravines which 
 mount upwards from the river. They were divided from us by 
 the most marked and extensive of those ravines, and eastward of 
 that boundary the whole of the ground suddenly falls, and, in- 
 stead of rising abruptly from the Alma, gains the high level of 
 the hills by a series of sweeping undulations, offering many 
 VOL. II. I I
 
 482 THE ALMA REVISITED. 
 
 positions for gims, with extensive glacis to the front. Descend- 
 ing from the plateau, some of om- party crossed the hridge, and 
 went out on the plain towards Eouljanak to the tumuli which, 
 stud the plains, and which denote the extreme range of the 
 Eussian guns. On turning round towards the south, the eye 
 takes in the whole scene of battle, from the sea on the right to 
 the low slopes which formed the right of the Eussian position. 
 Their left was separated from their right by a deep ravine 
 running at right angles towards the Alma, and this ravine also 
 is the boimdary between the high and steep clifls which over- 
 hang the tortuous course of the Alma on the south bank from 
 the ford to the sea, and the gentler rising grounds on which the 
 enemy's left lay, and which were strengthened by the redoubt 
 and by the mass of the Eussian artillery. It will then be seen 
 how the Eussian left depended on the nature of the ground as 
 its best defence, and what a fatal mistake Menschikoff committed 
 when he omitted to take into consideration the effect of the fire 
 of the ships. That fire soon drove back tlieir left, and forced it 
 to re-form on the centre, which it put into confusion, and the 
 French, ascending by the ravines with the utmost courage and 
 activity, made good their footing on the right and turned the 
 Eussian left completely, with comparatively little loss. The 
 advance of our allies was covered to a great extent by the thick 
 foliage on the banlts of the Alma, and the cliffs are so high and 
 rotten that guns could not be used with success against them. 
 The river is much further from the base of the cliffs than it is 
 from the slopes on the Eussian right, where the British attacked, 
 so that it would be scarcely commanded by guns on the top of 
 the plateau ; whereas, we were under lire for several hundred 
 yards before we reached the Alma at all. 
 
 A huge mound, composed of fifteen or sixteen gigantic graves, 
 at the distance of 400 or 500 yards from the river on its north 
 side, denotes the resting-place of those who fell before the army 
 crossed the stream, or who died after the fight in the ambulances. 
 The road by which we advanced to the bridge is just as it was 
 on the 20th of September, and on the right, close to the stream, 
 are the blackened ruins of the village of Bourliouk. It will 
 be i-emembered that the enemy partially destroyed the bridge, 
 but that it was repaired during the action by Captain Montagu, 
 Eoyal Engineers, and a party of Sappers and Miners. The 
 bridge has been substantially rebuilt, by means of a strong 
 wooden way thrown across the stone arches, and supported by
 
 THE BATTLE FIELD. 483 
 
 beams and uprights. The old post-house, on the right of the 
 road before you come to the bridge, is about being reconstructed, 
 and a guard of soldiers were lodged in its ruins. It will be, to all 
 appearances, a handsome house of fine white freestone when it 
 is finished. I surveyed its ruins with peculiar interest, for I 
 know a person very intimately who took shelter in this house, 
 part of which was on fire, to get out of a fire still hotter, 
 till he was driven out by a shell falling through the roof, and 
 it was at the wall outside, which is yet torn by shot, that I 
 met the first two wounded officers I saw that day — two officers 
 of the 30th, one hit through the chest or side ; the other 
 wounded, I think, in the leg or arm. They were helping each 
 other from the river, bleeding and weak, and I was fortunate 
 enough to be able to bring to their aid a Staft' surgeon, belong- 
 ing, I believe, to the Cavalry Division, who kindly examined 
 their wounds under fire. Close to this I had previously seen the 
 first man killed — a drummer, who was carrying a litter, and who 
 was struck by a round shot which bowled slowly along the I'oad 
 and hit hun, with a peculiar squashing sound, on the hip. He 
 fell broken in two, and never moved ; nor did his comrade, who 
 was carrying the other end of the litter, stop to mourn over his 
 •death. Alter the intrepid rush of the Light Division up the 
 liill, its wavering, its slow and broken and unwilling halt, the 
 bold advance of Pennefather's Brigade, and the billow-like march 
 of the Guards, I was happy again in being able to warn Colonel 
 Waddy, as he approached at the head of the 50th, that he was 
 moving right along the line of fire of the enemy's guns, and, as 
 there was a very conclusive proof given of the correctness of the 
 statement j ust as I spoke, that gallant officer moved ofi" his men, 
 who were in dense column a little to the left, and got off the 
 Toad to the fields, whence he rapidly advanced towards the 
 heights. All these things and many more came back upon me 
 as I looked around. I could recall that narrow road filled with 
 dead and dying — poor young Burgoyne going past on his litter, 
 crying out cheerily, " It's all right — it's only my foot ;" 
 " Billy Fitzgerald" shot through both legs lying up against 
 the wall, and chatting away as if he had just sat down after a 
 quadrille; a white-haired field-officer (of the 55th), whose name 
 I don't know, badly wounded through the body, who could 
 only moan bitterly, " Oh, my poor men ! oh, my poor men ! 
 they hadn't a chance ;" then the river stained here and there 
 Avith blood, still flowing from the dead and dying who lay on
 
 484 THE ALMA REVISITED. 
 
 the shallows and the banks, lined nevertheless by hundreds, who 
 drank its waters eagerly ; the horrid procession of the dripping 
 litters going to the rear of the fight; the solid mass of Adams' 
 brigade, halted by Lord Eaglau's orders as it emerged from 
 the smoke of Bourliouk : the Staff itself and the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, gathered on the rising ground close by ; 
 that ghastly battle-field where so many lay in so small 
 a place putrescent with heat and wounds ; the grey blocks 
 of Russians melting away like clouds, and di-ifted off by 
 the fierce breath of battle ; the shriek and rush of the shells 
 from the brass howitzers in the battery, the patter of the 
 rifle, the rattling roll of the musketry, the frantic cheers of our 
 men as they stood victors on the heights, drowning the groans 
 and cries which for a moment succeeded the roar of battle ; the 
 shrill flourish of the French bugles, and the joyous clamour of 
 theii- drums from the other side of the ravine, — all came back 
 upon the ear again, and the eye renewed its pleasure as it gazed 
 from the ridge upon the plain where it had before seen the Rus- 
 sians flying in disorder, with their rear still covered by the threat- 
 ening squadrons of their cavalry. Then one recalled the spot 
 where one had seen some friend lying dead, or some one — friend 
 or foe — whom it were no mercy to strive to keep alive — Watkin 
 Wynn, stretched on the ground in front of the trench, with a 
 smile on his face — Colonel Chester, with a scornful frown, and 
 his sword clenched in the death grasp — Monck, with the anger 
 of battle fixed on every feature — these and many another friend 
 in the peaceful camp of Aladyn or Devno rose up as they lived 
 in the memory. The scowling Russians who glared so fiercely 
 on their conquerors and seemed to hate them even as they sup- 
 plied their wants, then seen for the first time, left an impression 
 respecting the type of the Muscovite character which has scarcely 
 been efiaced now that they have ceased to be enemies. I re- 
 called the two days passed as no army ought to pass two days — 
 on the field of battle, amid the dead — the horrid labours of those 
 hours of despondency and grief where all should have been 
 triumph and rejoicing, and the awakened vigour witli which the 
 army broke from its bivouac on the Alma and set out with no 
 certain aim, no fixed project, on its chance march which fate has 
 made so successful and so prosperous. 
 
 The intrenchment can be distinctly seen for a mile north of the 
 river. It is placed halfway down the slope of the little hill-side.
 
 A MONUMENT ON THE FIELD. 485 
 
 There were no other works, trenches, redouLts, or fieldworks of 
 any description, and all the accounts of such defences filled with 
 riflemen and guns which have hecn made public were erroneous. 
 The enemy had very few riflemen, and the ground, except on the 
 extreme left, was of such a nature that good cover for guns 
 could be had for the seeking. For many years to come the 
 battle-field is likely to remain as it is now, the only diff'erence 
 being that the vines which flourished on the 20th of September, 
 1854, may be cultivated once more. On ascending from the 
 river towards the intrenchment, you find yourself on the left 
 completely covered by a rise of the hill in front from the parapet, 
 so that men could form in this hollow for the attack, without 
 being exposed to fire ; but the Eussians, aware of this, sent 
 down on their extreme right large bodies of infantry, who fired 
 at the Left Brigade of the Light Division as they were trying to 
 get into order after crossing the river. On the right, nearer to 
 the bridge, the ground is more exposed to guns from the parapet 
 of the trench, and on advancing a few yards the fair open glacis, 
 gently sloping upwards to their muzzles, gives a terrible solu- 
 tion of the reason why for a time the Light Division was held 
 in check, and lost in a few moments upwards of 1000 men. At 
 the base of this glacis, and scattered along the ridge towards the 
 river, are mounds of earth about thirty feet long by fifteen in 
 breadth, which are covered with large stones and slabs of slate. 
 There are fifteen or sixteen of these mounds, and many of them 
 contain the remains of friends and foes. Some small black 
 wooden crosses are placed here and there among these momids, 
 which lise to the height of two or three feet above the level of 
 the plain, and are all covered with rank vegetation and wild 
 flowers. The parapet of the work is still about three feet out- 
 side, and a foot deeper in the trench inside. Near the centre is 
 placed a handsome monument of white stone, with the following 
 inscription : — 
 
 " During the attack on these heights, 20th September, 1854, 
 Her Britannic Majesty's 23rd Eoyal Welsh Fusiliers lost their 
 commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel H. Chester, Captains 
 A. W. Wynn, F. Evans, J. Conolly, Lieutenants P. EadclifTe, 
 Sir W. Young, Bart., J. Anstruther, and J. Butler, all Icilled 
 on the field : also Lieutenant Applewaite, mortally wounded, 
 who died 22nd September, 1854. This stone is erected to their 
 memorj"." On the other side,
 
 486 THE ALMA REVISITED. 
 
 " The regiment also lost Sergeant J. H. Jones, Colour- 
 Sergeants K. liitclicock, J. F. Edwards, one drummer, and forty 
 privates, killed on the field." 
 
 In the ditch of the fieldwork there are about twenty large 
 graves covered with long grass and wild flowers. The tTench 
 is about 150 yards long, and it is filled Avith earth which has 
 tumbled down into it from the parapet ; the traces of the em- 
 brasures still remain. There are two stone crosses erected 
 inside the trench on heaps of dead. This is all that remains to 
 betoken the scene of the action on our side, except a few pieces 
 of threadbare rags and bits of accoutrements, leather straps, old 
 shakos, and fragments of cowhide knapsacks. Some miserable 
 Tartars prowl about the ruins of Burliouk to act as unintelligible 
 guides, and to pick up the fragments left after the river-side 
 meal of the visitors. Starting at six o'clock a.m., one can go to 
 the Alma, spend thi-ee hours there, and return to camp in time 
 for dinner with the greatest ease, if one has a good horse. It 
 is under fifty miles. The last time I was tliere I threw a fly over 
 the waters, having heard that there were trout in the stream, 
 but only a few "logger-headed chub," and a kind of dace, re- 
 sponded to the effort. And so I take leave of this little river, 
 ■which shall henceforth be celebrated in history to the end of time.
 
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